Many Americans mistakenly believe that infant formula offers the same benefits as breast milk, a U.S. study has found.

"The findings underscore the need to educate the general public that breastfeeding is the best method of feeding and nurturing infants," lead author Dr. Rowe Li of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote in her study, published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Li said 14 per cent of infants in the U.S. are fed exclusively breast milk at six months of age, despite recommendations that suggest infants be breastfed for at least a year. Public health agencies, including Health Canada, say breastfeeding provides for infants' growth and curbs gastrointestinal and respiratory infections.

The study suggests that advertising campaigns touting formulas rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids may have led many mothers to believe that instant formulas offer the same nutrients as breast milk.

In Canada, 85 per cent of new mothers reported trying to breastfeed their infants, up from 62 per cent in the 1980s, according to Statistics Canada.

Discomfort with public breastfeeding

The study referenced earlier research that suggests a growing number of Americans are uncomfortable with women who breastfeed in public. A 1999 survey found that 34.8 per cent of Americans agreed with the statement "mothers who breastfeed should do so in private places only." But by 2003, 37 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement.

According to a Statistics Canada study, less than five per cent of mothers said they stopped breastfeeding because they believed formula was as healthy as mother's milk.

The main reasons Canadian mothers gave for stopping breastfeeding was that their bodies could not supply enough milk, followed by fatigue, difficulty with the technique and medical issues.