New moms in Colorado don’t need New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to tell them how beneficial breastfeeding is. They’re apparently getting the message without him.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a nationwide breastfeeding report card Wednesday, showing that Colorado is tops in the nation when it comes to the number of mothers who exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months of their lives. Nationwide, 16.3 percent of moms are exclusively breastfeeding at six months; in Colorado, the number is 26.6 percent.

Public health officials say breastfeeding, not formula, is the most beneficial food for newborns, and the longer they can stay on breast milk, the better it is for their health. Research has shown that infants who are breastfed are less likely to get ear and other infections, and asthma and other respiratory problems. Some research also indicates that breastfeeding can reduce the risk of Type 1 diabetes, childhood leukemia, and SIDS.

And, as the U.S. tries to come to grips with rising obesity rates in children, research indicates that breastfed babies are less likely to become overweight.

“Breastfeeding is one of our best protections against childhood obesity,” Dr. Chris Urbina, executive director and chief medical officer for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said in a news release.

But public health officials in Colorado still have their work cut out for them in promoting breastfeeding, and would like to see a rise in the number of 6 months old who are exclusively breast-fed.

“While we’ve made significant progress in Colorado, nearly three of every four Colorado mothers are not taking full advantage of the health benefits of mother’s milk,” Urbina said.

The state health department also notes that Colorado ranks 18th in the nation for the number of babies who are still receiving some breast milk at age 12 months.

The CDC report’s release comes a month before New York City implements a voluntary but controversial program to encourage hospitals to lock up infant formula and promote breastfeeding. Reports from New York media indicate that more than half of the city’s hospitals have agreed to participate, and they’ll also stop handing out gift bags with formula samples to new mothers.

Nationally, the CDC said, breastfeeding rates have been rising. The percentage of mothers who breastfeed at least part of the time when their baby is 6 months old increased from 44.3 percent to 47.2 percent from 2009; breastfeeding at least part of the time at 12 months increased from 23.8 percent to 25.5 percent.

Public policymakers, both nationally and in Colorado, have been trying to do more to encourage breastfeeding. In Colorado, a 2004 law established the right for mothers to nurse their children in public, and a 2008 law mandated that workplaces accommodate breastfeeding mothers.

The state health department also has several programs to support breastfeeding.

Nationally, Baby-Friendly USA — part of the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative launched by the World Health Organization and UNICEF — is trying to get more U.S. hospitals on board with the promotion of breast feeding. But the Colorado health department notes that very few hospitals have signed up, and only 8 percent of births in the state take place at hospitals that are part of the baby-friendly program. None of the hospitals are in Colorado Springs.