The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children is a targeted public health nutrition program designed to support nutrition and health behaviors that reach low-income ...
Though now an illegal practice, government contracts, policies, and practices have generally excluded women, and Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Still, practices and existing structures ...
Every August, national, state, and local breastfeeding stakeholders celebrate National Breastfeeding Month by engaging each other and the public in conversations about changes needed to build a ...
ASTHO CEO Michael Fraser, PhD, and Tracey Wareing Evans, President and CEO of APHSA, sit down to discuss building a foundational family well-being roadmap amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges for breastfeeding families and state breastfeeding initiatives. This brief discusses these challenges and how states in ASTHO’s Breastfeeding ...
The Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting program, which provides visiting services to parents with young children, is up for Congressional reauthorization. This post explores the ...
ASTHO interviewed two state health agencies (SHAs), two nonprofit partners, and one university partner that were heavily invested in state early childhood development policy about how their programs ...
Breastfeeding is a shared priority across the nation, and should accommodate mothers who are incarcerated.
As the conversation about the importance of mental health continues to unfold, health agencies have a critical role to play in supporting positive mental health outcomes through nutrition support and ...
Samuel Walker of Java Jam, a fatherhood initiative dedicated to amplifying the lived experiences of men experiencing the birthing and lactation journey alongside their partners.
Breastfeeding is considered the gold standard in postnatal care for both birthing persons and infants. Yet racial disparities in breastfeeding initiation and duration rates continue to persist. ...
In December 2021, HRSA approved new and updated Women’s Preventive Services Guidelines, which will go into effect in 2023. The recent changes include a new guideline on obesity prevention for midlife ...
Breastfeeding and early child nutrition are crucial for promoting healthy early brain development. This infographic details how skin-to-skin breastfeeding and breast milk promote infant ...
This Health Policy Update is an overview of state legislative activity addressing access to and support for breastfeeding or lactation practices.
This ASTHOBrief discusses how breastfeeding acts as a protective factor for maternal mental health, negative impacts of COVID-19 on breastfeeding and maternal mental health, state actions to improve ...
USDA has proposed a final rule for long-term school nutrition standards and is seeking public input on the proposed changes through April 10, 2023.
Breastfeeding is a key protective factor against infant and toddler nutrition insecurity and is the ideal source of nutrition for most infants, since it adapts to each child’s unique nutritional ...
The Fostering Breastfeeding Equity Through Community Engagement webinar series emphasizes the importance of community engagement when developing policies.
The need for food and nutritional assistance is growing. Based on Feeding America’s food insecurity projections released in March, it is anticipated that 42 million people may experience food ...
This infographic outlines recommendations for how PQCs can promote breastfeeding through quality improvement strategies, and includes examples of three state PQCs that have improved policies, ...