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A Common Marmoset Model of Mother-Infant Intervention for Breastfeeding Disorders in the Presence of Paternal Inhibition and Maternal Neglect
Published on: September 22, 2023
Hospital system costs of artificial infant feeding: estimates for the Australian Capital Territory
Julie P Smith1, Jane F Thompson, David A Ellwood
1National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health and Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory. julie@coombs.anu.edu.au
Insights
Early weaning in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is linked to significant hospital costs, estimated at $1-2 million annually for five common infant illnesses. Supporting exclusive breastfeeding can reduce these healthcare expenditures.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Health Economics
Background:
- Exclusive breastfeeding offers significant health benefits for infants.
- Early weaning practices are prevalent in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
- Infant feeding choices impact healthcare utilization and costs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the hospital system costs attributable to early weaning in the ACT.
- To identify specific infant and childhood illnesses associated with early weaning.
- To assess the economic impact of suboptimal breastfeeding duration.
Main Methods:
- Utilized cohort studies to determine relative risks of infant morbidity from artificial feeding versus breastfeeding.
- Assessed ACT breastfeeding prevalence using a 1997 population-based cohort study.
- Calculated attributable hospitalisation costs for gastrointestinal illness, respiratory illness, otitis media, eczema, and necrotising enterocolitis using ACT hospital data and DRG costs.
Main Results:
- Despite high breastfeeding initiation (92%), less than 10% of ACT infants are exclusively breastfed for six months.
- Early supplementation or introduction of solids contributes to reduced exclusive breastfeeding duration.
- Estimated annual attributable hospitalisation costs for five selected illnesses range from $1-2 million in the ACT.
Conclusions:
- Early weaning from breastmilk incurs substantial hospitalisation costs for specific infant illnesses.
- These cost estimates are conservative, excluding other conditions and out-of-hospital care.
- Promoting higher rates of exclusive breastfeeding and supporting breastfeeding interventions are likely to be cost-effective public health strategies.
Objective:
To estimate the attributable ACT hospital system costs of treating selected infant and childhood illnesses having known associations with early weaning from human milk.
Method:
We identified relative risks of infant and childhood morbidity associated with exposure to artificial feeding in the early months of life vs. breastfeeding from cohort studies cited by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1997 as establishing the protective effect of breastfeeding. Data for ACT breastfeeding prevalence is assessed from a 1997 prospective population-based cohort study of 1,295 women. ACT Hospital Morbidity Data and DRG treatment costs were used to estimate the attributable fraction of costs of hospitalisation for gastrointestinal illness, respiratory illness and otitis media, eczema, and necrotising enterocolitis.
Results:
Although initiation rates were high (92%), less than one in 10 ACT infants are exclusively breastfed for the recommended six months, mainly due to supplementation or weaning on to formula within the first three months and the early introduction of solids by breastfeeding mothers. This study suggests the attributable hospitalisation costs of early weaning in the ACT are about $1-2 million a year for the five illnesses.
Conclusions And Implications:
Early weaning from breastmilk is associated with significant hospital costs for treatment of gastrointestinal illness, respiratory illness and otitis media, eczema, and necrotising enterocolitis. These costs are minimum estimates of the cost of early weaning as they exclude numerous other chronic or common illnesses and out-of-hospital health care costs. Higher rates of exclusive breastfeeding would reduce these costs. Interventions to protect and support breastfeeding are likely to be cost-effective for the public health system.
