Q&A: Raising breast cancer awareness

With October representing National Breast Cancer Awareness month, Lansinoh has coupled its Nurture Note e-mail list with a fundraising event that helps raise awareness around breast-feeding and its potential to reduce breast cancer risk. Drug Store News caught up with Lansinoh’s Gina Ciagne, director of breast-feeding relations and outreach.

Drug Store News: What is the breast-feeding market at mass? Is that number growing as awareness around health benefits increases?

Gina Ciagne: The U.S. breast-feeding rates have been increasing steadily since 1999, when the initiation rate was just 68.3 percent. Today, with 4 million births, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the initiation rates are 72 percent, dropping to 39 percent at six months and 20 percent at 12 months. There are more and more activities that surround breast-feeding to help educate and encourage moms to breast-feed today. The National Ad Campaign by the Department of Health and Human Services, local- and state-level campaigns and support measures certainly help to spread the message about breast-feeding.

DrSN: Is there a greater degree of opportunity among ethnic consumers?

Ciagne: According to the CDC, Hispanic rates of breast-feeding surpass Caucasian rates at initiation. Rates at six months and 12 months are nearly the same. Current Hispanic rates are 79 percent for breast-feeding, compared with 75 percent for Caucasian.

DrSN: What is the overall dollar market?

Ciagne: According to Information Resources Inc. data for the 52 weeks ended Aug. 12, the food, drug and mass (not including Wal-Mart) market for all products and suppliers was $80.9 million, up 20.2 percent.

DrSN: Outside of the benefits for baby, what are the advantages to mom with regard to breast-feeding?

Ciagne: There are huge benefits for moms who breast-feed, including a reduced risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and type 2 diabetes. … In August, National breast-feeding Month, Lansinoh announced the start of our “Latch on to a Good Cause” fund-raiser. This program runs through Oct.31. For any mom who signs up for Nurture Notes [an e-mail program managed by Lansinoh that sends words of encouragement and breast-feeding tips], Lansinoh will donate $1 to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. We hope to increase awareness of the link between breast-feeding and the reduction in the incidence of breast cancer for moms.