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Factores asociados a la lactancia materna exclusiva

2012; Elsevier BV; Volume: 83; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.4067/s0370-41062012000200007

0717-6228

Rosa Niño Moya, Gioconda Silva E, Eduardo Átalah S,

Child and Adolescent Health

Determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in health centers in Santiago, ChileIntroduction: Limited information is available regarding factors contributing to exclusive breastfeeding until the sixth month.This information is needed to design appropriate policy interventions.Methods: A survey about socio-demographic characteristics, information received, onset and duration of breastfeeding and causes of weaning was applied.Factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months were determined by multivariate logistic regression.Results: 256 mothers attending a public sector hospital and 158 mothers attending a private sector hospital responded to the survey.The following factors were higher in the private sector group: Education level, primiparity, cesarean sections and work outside the home (p < 0.02).45.8% of mothers continued exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months, with no difference seen between groups.The main causes of weaning were: maternal decision (27.2%), perceived hunger (24.1%), esthetic factors (17.3%) and child's illness (13.0%).Exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months was associated with a previous successful breastfeeding (OR 5.4, 95% CI 2.2-13.2),female child (OR 5.5 CI 2.5-12.3),lower maternal education (OR 5.4 CI 2.4-11.7)and public health system (OR 2.1 CI 1.0-4.5).Conclusion: Weaning is often associated with maternal perceptions rather than objective data.Socio-demographic variables infl uence successful prolonged breastfeeding.Better education in health factors and breastfeeding might improve this situation.