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Explore national- and state-level data for hundreds of health, environmental and socioeconomic measures, including background information about each measure. Use features on this page to find measures; view subpopulations, trends and rankings; and download and share content.
Arkansas Value:
Percentage of infants exclusively breastfed for six months
Arkansas Rank:
Percentage of infants exclusively breastfed for six months
42.6% - 31.5%
31.4% - 28.2%
28.1% - 26.5%
26.4% - 23.2%
23.1% - 17.5%
US Value: 27.2 %
Top State(s): Alaska: 42.6 %
Bottom State(s): West Virginia: 17.5 %
Definition: Percentage of infants exclusively breastfed for six months
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, National Immunization Survey-Child, 2021
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, National Immunization Survey-Child, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2026.
Breastfeeding has many benefits for mothers and infants. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life. Breastfeeding provides infants with vital nutrients and supports healthy brain and immune system development. Additional benefits to infants include:
Breastfeeding benefits for mothers include decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancers, Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Breastfeeding also facilitates bonding between mother and infant.
In 2019, approximately 83% of new mothers in the United States initiated breastfeeding, and 25% continued to exclusively breastfeed for six months following birth.
Several social and cultural factors may lead women never to start breastfeeding or to stop breastfeeding early. Factors associated with lower breastfeeding rates include:
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rates of breastfeeding are higher among:
Additionally, low-income women are more likely to return to work earlier and to have jobs that make it more difficult to continue breastfeeding, compared with women with higher incomes.
Interventions that support breastfeeding have been shown to increase rates of breastfeeding initiation and duration, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. In 2012, the Affordable Care Act began requiring health insurers to cover breastfeeding equipment and support services, which led to a 10% increase in the duration of breastfeeding and a 21% increase in the duration of exclusive breastfeeding.
Social and emotional support programs play an important role for breastfeeding women as well by creating environments for encouragement and advice to be exchanged. A recent study showed that breastfeeding peer counseling had a positive impact on breastfeeding duration at 3 and 6 months postpartum.
Hospitals participating in the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, which involves implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, help encourage new mothers to start and continue breastfeeding. Higher proportions of Baby-Friendly Hospitals at the state level are associated with increased breastfeeding rates. Moreover, increased use of the Ten Steps is associated with a decrease in racial disparities in breastfeeding initiation. Improving the delivery of culturally relevant breastfeeding services tailored to meet the needs of communities most at risk of not breastfeeding can further narrow disparities.
Policies like paid maternity leave and workplace support can also increase the proportion of women who start and continue breastfeeding. Effective workplace breastfeeding interventions include worksite lactation spaces and breast milk extraction breaks.
Healthy People 2030 has an objective to increase the percentage of infants breastfed exclusively for their first six months.
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Strategies to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases: The CDC Guide to Strategies to Support Breastfeeding Mothers and Babies. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013. https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/pdf/bf-guide-508.pdf.
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Jolles, Diana R., and Lauren Hoehn-Velasco. “Breastfeeding as a Quality Measure: Demonstrating Levers of the National Quality Strategy.” The Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing 35, no. 3 (September 2021): 221–27. https://doi.org/10.1097/JPN.0000000000000577.
Kim, Tae Hyeon, Hyeri Lee, Selin Woo, Hayeon Lee, Jaeyu Park, Guillaume Fond, Laurent Boyer, Jong Woo Hahn, Jiseung Kang, and Dong Keon Yon. “Prenatal and Postnatal Factors Associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses.” World Journal of Pediatrics 20, no. 5 (May 2024): 451–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-024-00806-1.
Li, Ruowei, Julie Ware, Aimin Chen, Jennifer M. Nelson, Jennifer M. Kmet, Sharyn E. Parks, Ardythe L. Morrow, Jian Chen, and Cria G. Perrine. “Breastfeeding and Post-Perinatal Infant Deaths in the United States, A National Prospective Cohort Analysis.” The Lancet Regional Health - Americas 5 (January 2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2021.100094.
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Rito, Ana Isabel, Marta Buoncristiano, Angela Spinelli, Benoit Salanave, Marie Kunešová, Tatjana Hejgaard, Marta García Solano, et al. “Association between Characteristics at Birth, Breastfeeding and Obesity in 22 Countries: The WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative – COSI 2015/2017.” Obesity Facts 12, no. 2 (2019): 226–43. https://doi.org/10.1159/000500425.
Rollins, Nigel C., Nita Bhandari, Nemat Hajeebhoy, Susan Horton, Chessa K. Lutter, Jose C. Martines, Ellen G. Piwoz, Linda M. Richter, and Cesar G. Victora. “Why Invest, and What It Will Take to Improve Breastfeeding Practices?” The Lancet, Breastfeeding 2, 387, no. 10017 (January 30, 2016): 491–504. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01044-2.
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Wilson, Keadrea, Tebeb Gebretsadik, Margaret A. Adgent, Christine Loftus, Catherine Karr, Paul E. Moore, Sheela Sathyanarayana, et al. “The Association between Duration of Breastfeeding and Childhood Asthma Outcomes.” Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 129, no. 2 (August 2022): 205–11.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anai.2022.04.034.
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