BESt: Breastfeeding and Employment Study Survey

• Children and Young Adults
• Datasets and Research Tools
• HIPxChange
• Women's Health

Employee, Manager, and Organization Surveys on Breastfeeding Support in the Workplace

Issues faced by breastfeeding mothers in the U.S.

Despite the many health benefits that breastfeeding offers to both infants and mothers, the rate of mothers who continue to breastfeed their infants for the recommended 12 to 24 months remains low in the United States.

• According to the CDC, for babies born in 2015, while 83% of newborns in the United States started out breastfeeding, by 6 months, the number had dropped to 58%, and by 12 months, it was down to 36%.
• In contrast, global data show that approximately 75% of children aged 12-15 months are still breastfeeding.

Among working mothers in the U.S., the number who continue to breastfeed their infants for a year is even lower. Many working mothers face a lack of support in the workplace for breastfeeding and pumping, have competing time demands, lack a clean or private place to pump, and face other challenges, all of which can contribute to lower than optimal rates of continued breastfeeding.

The Breastfeeding and Employment Study (BESt) surveys

The Breastfeeding and Employment Study (BESt) surveys were created to help address these issues. The surveys – one for employees, one for managers, and one for companies – can help identify which company breastfeeding policies, areas of support, and aspects of the company culture serve as facilitators or barriers to continued breastfeeding after mothers return to work.

The surveys can be used to measure:

• The climate for breastfeeding support from the perspective of employees (especially pregnant or new mother employees) or managers
• Any improvement in that climate after breastfeeding supports are implemented
• Benefits that might be available to support breastfeeding

The surveys are useful to organizations, but may also be used by researchers to examine the climate of breastfeeding support and its relationship to breastfeeding duration of new mother employees, or for its relationship to measures of job satisfaction or success.

Key References

• Greene SW, Olson BH. Development of an instrument designed to measure employees’ perceptions of workplace breastfeeding support. Breastfeed Med. 2008 Sep;3(3):151-7.
• Greene SW, Wolfe EW, Olson BH. Assessing the validity of measures of an instrument designed to measure employees’ perceptions of workplace breastfeeding support. Breastfeed Med. 2008 Sep;3(3):159-63.
• Chow T, Wolfe EW, Olson BH. Development, content validity, and piloting of an instrument designed to measure managers’ attitude toward workplace breastfeeding support. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2012 Jul;112(7):1042-7.
• Hojnacki SE, Bolton T, Fulmer IS, Olson BH. Development and piloting of an instrument that measures company support for breastfeeding. J Hum Lact. 2012 Feb;28(1):20-7.
• Chow T, Smithey Fulmer I, Olson BH. Perspectives of managers toward workplace breastfeeding support in the state of Michigan. J Hum Lact. 2011 May;27(2):138-46.

What does the toolkit contain?

The toolkit contains 3 surveys, each of which contains instructions, questions, and space for free text comments.

• Employee Survey: To be completed by employees in the organization. Questions on the following topics are included: organization support, manager support, co-worker support, time, and physical environment.
• Manager Survey: To be completed by managers in the organization. Questions on the following topics are included: manager support, co-worker support, company support, outcomes, and experience with breastfeeding.
• Organization Survey: To be completed by those with knowledge of breastfeeding supports in the organization, such as Human Resources Managers.  Questions on the following topics are included: breastfeeding policy, maternity leave, breastfeeding and pumping milk at work, and supports such as education and facilities.