Breastfeeding in infants under two years old in a city in the Amazon Region

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the duration of breastfeeding and the factors associated with total weaning of infants aged six to 23 months and 29 days living in the municipality of Cruzeiro do Sul, in the Brazilian Western Amazon. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted during the National Multi-Vaccination Campaign in 2016 and Against Influenza in 2017. The sample was estimated by clusters. The data was collected with the mothers or guardians of 679 infants who attended vaccination campaigns and answered a questionnaire. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used, and Cox regression was used for the factors associated with total weaning. A 5% significance level was considered for all statistical tests. Results: Breastfeeding was practiced by 65.3% of the infants, whose mean age was 13.7 months (SD± 4.9 months). The mean total weaning time was 16.7 months (95% CI: 16.06 - 17.36) and the median of 22 months, which is the probability of duration of breastfeeding up to two years old in 49.7%. The factors associated with total weaning were previous breastfeeding experience for less than six months, not breastfeeding in the first hour of life, pacifier use and bottle-feeding. Conclusion: The duration of breastfeeding was below the recommended. The factors associated with total weaning of infants between six and 23 months are related to previous maternal experience, early initiation of breastfeeding and the use of artificial nipples.