The costs of suboptimal breastfeeding in Ontario, Canada, and potential healthcare resource impacts from improving rates: a pediatric health system costing analysis

Table 2 Savings in disease cases and health system costs from improving breastfeeding rates

	Current rate at 6 months (36.3%)		Rate at discharge (64.9%)		Initiation rate (92.1%)
	Disease cases	Estimated health systems cost	Disease cases averted	Estimated cost savings	Disease cases averted	Estimated cost savings
Annual health system costs
LRTI	32,856	$10,391,974	15,028	$4,665,780	29,172	$9,103,172
GII	27,883	$48,531,464	12,591	$21,911,854	24,441	$42,540,600
AOM	43,174	$8,723,962	19,495	$3,939,414	37,844	$7,647,098
NEC^a	77	$4,612,636	37	$2,199,854	67	$4,069,568
Total	103,990	$72,260,036	47,151	$32,716,902	67,107	$63,360,438
Childhood (14-year) health system costs
ALL^b	7	$1,348,340	3	$592,976	6	$1,172,524
Obesity	3,162	$16,823,608	1,199	$6,380,110	2,661	$14,159,081
Asthma	2,492	$42,842,556	970	$16,681,974	2,111	$36,295,822
	5661	$61,014,504	2172	$23,655,060	4778	$51,627,427

^aNEC – current rate of any breastfeeding at discharge (32.9%); modelled scenario of any breastfeeding at 6 months (64.6%); modelled scenario of improving rate to initiation rate (92.1%)
^bALL – current rate of any breastfeeding at 6 months (64.6%); modelled scenario of improving any breastfeeding rates to rates of any breastfeeding at hospital discharge (73.8%); modelled scenario of improving rate to initiation rate (92.1%)

ISSN: 1746-4358