Canadian and international guidelines recommend exclusive breastfeeding to 6 months and continued breastfeeding to 2 years and beyond. While breastfeeding beyond infancy (≥12 months) confers health benefits to the mother-infant dyad, there are numerous barriers to this practice, including a mother’s return to work and negative social norms. Little is known about the prevalence of breastfeeding beyond infancy in Canada, despite the annual collection of breastfeeding data through the nationally representative Canadian Community Health Survey Maternal Experiences module (CCHS-MEX). During this presentation, we will explore key breastfeeding outcomes across Canada gathered through the CCHS-MEX, and highlight the regional differences that exist in breastfeeding beyond infancy.
Jocelyne Labonté is a Registered Dietitian working in malnutrition and human milk research in Canada and Southeast Asia. She completed her MSc in Applied Human Nutrition at Mount Saint Vincent University, where her thesis focused on peripartum food avoidances in rural Cambodia. Jocelyne will begin her Ph.D. studies in Population Health at the University of Ottawa this fall. She will investigate the effectiveness of a locally produced ready-to-use supplementary food in preventing and treating malnutrition among women of reproductive age in Laos.