Breastfeeding in Montes Claros, Minas Gerais: a representative sample study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the situation of breast-feeding in Montes Claros, among under-two-year-old children, and to determine variables associated to major risk for early weaning. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study interviews were carried out by trained personnel with 602 mothers selected randomly in the urban area of Montes Claros, from September to November, 1996. The survival analysis was the method used to calculate the prevalence and the median duration of breast-feeding. The chi-square test was conducted to compare the proportions, and the level of significance was set at 5%. The prevalence ratio (PR) was used to measure the strength of the associations, with a 95% confidence interval. The logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for early weaning. RESULTS: The median duration of breast-feeding in general was 8.7 months; however the median duration of exclusive breastfeeding was only 27 days. The risk factors for early weaning were low birth weight (OR=2.65; CI95%=1.10-6.40), mothers with difficulties to breast-feed in the first days (OR=1.86; CI95%=1.21-2.85) and lack of posnatal medical incentive to breast-feed (OR=1.75; CI95%=1.15-2.66). CONCLUSIONS: For breast-feeding in general there is a better situation than that showed by other national reports, but it is still below recommended by WHO. There is a critical exclusive breastfeeding pattern. The factors related with early weaning denote a weak support of the maternal-infant health services to breast-feeding.