Breastfeeding practices and chronic non-communicable diseases among mothers: comparing the 2013 and 2019 PNS

Abstract

Aimed to assess the prevalence of breastfeeding in the last 24 hours among mothers of children under 2 years of age, categorizing them based on the presence or absence of non-communicable diseases. A cross-sectional study using data from the Brazilian National Health Survey in 2013 and 2019, which employed a probabilistic sample structure with cluster sampling . The analysis covered 1,586 and 2,064 child-mother pairs in 2013 and 2019, respectively. Estimates were made for the maternal population and the prevalence of socioeconomic, demographic and NCD variables. Significantly reduced breastfeeding rates were evident as the age of the child advanced in both years. In 2013, the prevalence decreased in the 12-24 month age group to 35.3%, while in 2019, it stood at 40.3%. There was no statistically significant disparity in the prevalence of breastfeeding between women with and without NCDs in each year surveyed, nor between the two years surveyed. Within the subset of women diagnosed with NCDs, there was a reduction in the prevalence of breastfeeding among children aged 12 to 24 months in 2013 (35%) and 2019 (39%). In addition, sociodemographic variables had a notable influence on breastfeeding practices among women.