Prevalence Of Breastfeeding Research Articles

Breastfeeding practices and beliefs among HIV+ pregnant and lactating women on antiretroviral therapy in rural Uganda indicate obstacles to following national guidelines

Ugandan guidelines recommend 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for HIV‐infected women on antiretroviral therapy (ART), with continued breastfeeding (BF) for at least 1 year. We explored infant feeding (IF) practices and beliefs among HIV‐infected pregnant and BF women on ART in the PROMOTE trial (NCT00993031) in Tororo, Uganda. IF practices were determined using monthly maternal reports from a prospective cohort of 219 PROMOTE infants born between March 6, 2010 and October 31, 2011 and compared to 2007 Ugandan Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data. To assess IF beliefs, a purposive sample of 24 pregnant and 32 BF PROMOTE participants took part in in‐depth interviews (IDIs) in July and August 2011 (n=56). In the PROMOTE study, the prevalence of EBF was 90.4% and 71.6% at 3 and 6 months, vs. 64.8% and 10.8% respectively in the DHS. In contrast, the prevalence of BF at 12 months was 62.6% in PROMOTE vs. 88.3% in DHS. IDIs revealed several potential reasons for suboptimal IF: 64.3% believed that HIV was an important reason to avoid BF and 21.4% did not know the recommended duration of EBF. Of BF IDI participants, 78.1% were concerned about adequate breast milk production and 46.9% had actually experienced problems with EBF, e.g. unsatisfied baby. Among all IDI participants, 96.4% desired further IF education. Further research is needed to understand optimal support to overcome identified obstacles to BF among HIV+ women in rural Uganda.Grant Funding Source: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Impaired lactation performance following elective delivery at term: role of maternal levels of cortisol and prolactin

Objective: Lactation performance depends on stress surrounding labor and delivery, and it is likely to be different in women who underwent elective cesarean delivery (ECD) or vaginal (VD). The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between cortisol and human prolactin (hPRL), following ECD and lactation performance, from the delivery room to the 6th month of life. Methods: A total of 106 mothers were consecutively enrolled: 38 after ECD, 28 after emergency cesarean delivery (EmCD), and 40 after VD. Results: Basal stress-, lactogenic-hormones, cortisol, and hPRL were comparable on day 3 postpartum in all the women. Multivariate analysis indicated that ECD has a negative impact (OR; 95% CI) on breastfeeding prevalence on the seventh day (0.14; 0.0–0.44, p = 0.008) and at third month post partum (0.19; 0.05–0.71, p = 0.05) in comparison to VD. In addition, hPRL levels proved to have a statistically significant role in early breastfeeding (1.01; 1–1.01, p = 0.002). Conclusions: ECD is a risk factor for successful lactation performance. This information should be provided to mothers and caregivers for extra breastfeeding guidance.

Prevalência e fatores condicionantes do aleitamento materno - Estudo ALMAT

PREVALENCE OF BREASTFEEDING AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS - ALMAT STUDY Objective: To determine the prevalence of breastfeeding at 6 months of age and to determine if the early cessation of breastfeeding is associated with maternal age, parity, education, employment status, smoking, alcohol consumption and knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding. Study Type: Cross-sectional study. Location: USF Mais Saude and USF Lethes, Local Health Unit of Alto Minho. Population:Women giving birth in 2009 in these regions. Methods: Between September 1 and October 15, 2010, we conducted telephone interviews with 163 mothers (106 from USF Lethes and 57 from USF Mais Saude) selected from a list of the women giving birth in 2009 identified in the electronic medical record. The information was gathered using a questionnaire developed by the authors. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The prevalence of breastfeeding at 6 months was 36% (29% - 43%, CI 95%). The mean duration of breastfeeding was 5 months. The prevalence of breastfeeding was higher in older women. The prevalence of breastfeeding was high in women in lowest and highest level of education. It was lower in women who attended birth preparation classes. In a multivariate analysis, age was found to be a confounding variable, so these variables (education and pre-natal classes) were found not to be associated with breastfeeding. Conclusions: The prevalence of breastfeeding at 6 months of age in this population was found to be similar to that found in other studies, but lower than the goal by set by the World Health Organization. The association between breastfeeding and age is similar to that found in the literature. We believe that this study contributes to our knowledge of the factors associated with the prevalence of breastfeeding at 6 months of age in Portugal.

Influência regional no consumo precoce de alimentos diferentes do leite materno em menores de seis meses residentes nas capitais brasileiras e Distrito Federal

The aim was to assess regional influences on food consumption in infants less than six months of age. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 18,929 infants participating in the Second Survey on Breastfeeding Prevalence in Brazilian State Capitals and the Federal District in 2008. Consumption rates for tea, fruit juices, formula milk, and porridge were calculated for the State capitals from the five geographic regions of the country. Food consumption was estimated by logit analyses and Poisson models. Differences in food consumption profile were observed between the different regions: tea was more common in State capitals in the South (RP = 2.37), while non-maternal milk (RP = 1.50 and 1.47) and juices (RP = 1.57 and 1.55) were more frequent in the Northeast and Southeast, respectively. Porridge was more common in the Northeast (RP = 3.0). Brazil's geographic regions thus display different infant feeding patterns. Public policy should take cultural diversity into account when planning strategies to improve infant nutrition and health.

Prática alimentar entre crianças menores de dois anos de idade residentes em municípios do semiárido do Estado da Paraíba, Brasil

OBJETIVO: Analisar a prática alimentar de crianças menores de dois anos de idade residentes em municípios do interior do Estado da Paraíba. MÉTODOS: Estudo secional realizado nos 14 municípios mais carentes do Estado da Paraíba. Foram pesquisados 539 domicílios com pelo menos uma criança com idade entre 0 e 23,9 meses. Aplicou-se às mães recordatório 24 horas sobre alimentação das crianças. O modelo de análise considerou três momentos do crescimento e desenvolvimento da criança, identificando as recomendações de consumo alimentar pertinentes. RESULTADOS: Crianças de 0-5,9 meses: destacou-se um importante percentual de desmame (20,7%) e a reduzida prevalência do aleitamento materno exclusivo (30,5%). Crianças de 6-11,9 meses: 45,2% ainda mamavam, porém apenas 21,7% das crianças entre 6 e 9,9 meses apresentaram uma alimentação complementar oportuna. Crianças entre 12-23,9 meses: a prática alimentar das crianças caracterizou-se essencialmente pelo consumo de leite não materno e pelo consumo insuficiente de alimentos fontes de ferro. CONCLUSÃO: O hábito alimentar distancia-se de uma prática alimentar segura, especialmente pela interrupção precoce do aleitamento materno exclusivo e sua consequente substituição por refeições à base de leite não materno, expondo esse grupo a situações de insegurança alimentar e nutricional.

O papel do aleitamento materno na redução das hospitalizações por pneumonia em crianças brasileiras menores de 1 ano

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a relacao entre o aleitamento materno e as internacoes hospitalares por pneumonia entre criancas com menos de 1 ano de vida. METODOS: Estudo epidemiologico ecologico que utilizou dados secundarios de internacao por pneumonia (desfecho) e de prevalencia de aleitamento materno (exposicao) na populacao de criancas com menos de 1 ano de vida nas capitais brasileiras e no Distrito Federal em 2008. A razao de taxas (RT) de internacao hospitalar foi estimada por modelo estatistico binomial negativo (intervalo de confianca de 95%), ajustado pelo indice de Gini da populacao e pela prevalencia de fumantes na populacao em geral e de baixo peso ao nascer na populacao estudada. RESULTADOS: A prevalencia de aleitamento materno em criancas de 9 a 12 meses incompletos de vida e a prevalencia do aleitamento materno exclusivo entre criancas menores de 6 meses mostraram-se associadas a uma menor taxa de internacao hospitalar por pneumonia (RT = 0,62; IC95% 0,51-0,74, e RT = 0,52; IC95% 0,39-0,69, respectivamente). CONCLUSAO: O aumento das prevalencias de aleitamento materno no 1o ano de vida e de aleitamento materno exclusivo nos primeiros 6 meses de uma populacao podem reduzir as internacoes hospitalares por pneumonias.

Investigating Intergenerational Differences in Human PCB Exposure due to Variable Emissions and Reproductive Behaviors

BackgroundReproductive behaviors—such as age of childbearing, parity, and breast-feeding prevalence—have changed over the same historical time period as emissions of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and may produce intergenerational differences in human PCB exposure.ObjectivesOur goal in this study was to estimate prenatal, postnatal, and lifetime PCB exposures for women at different ages according to year of birth, and to evaluate the impact of reproductive characteristics on intergenerational differences in exposure.MethodsWe used the time-variant mechanistic model CoZMoMAN to calculate human bioaccumulation of PCBs, assuming both hypothetical constant and realistic time-variant emissions.ResultsAlthough exposure primarily depends on when an individual was born relative to the emission history of PCBs, reproductive behaviors can have a significant impact. Our model suggests that a mother’s reproductive history has a greater influence on the prenatal and postnatal exposures of her children than it does on her own cumulative lifetime exposure. In particular, a child’s birth order appears to have a strong influence on their prenatal exposure, whereas postnatal exposure is determined by the type of milk (formula or breast milk) fed to the infant.ConclusionsPrenatal PCB exposure appears to be delayed relative to the time of PCB emissions, particularly among those born after the PCB production phaseout. Consequently, the health repercussions of environmental PCBs can be expected to persist for several decades, despite bans on their production for > 40 years.

Fatores associados ao aleitamento materno exclusivo: o papel do cuidado na atenção básica

The aim of this study was to assess the association between promotion, protection, and support for breastfeeding in primary health care services and prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a representative sample of 1,029 mothers of infants younger than six months treated at primary health care facilities in the city of Rio de Janeiro, in southeastern Brazil. Prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated by Poisson regression. Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding was 58.1%. Factors associated with increased prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding were: white skin color (PR = 1.20; 95% CI: 1.05-1.36); schooling (PR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.05-1.35); marital status (married or in common-law marriage) (PR = 1.72; 95% IC:1.02-2.90); previous breastfeeding (PR = 1.27; 95% CI: 1.08-1,49); exclusive breastfeeding at the time of hospital discharge (PR = 2.01; 95% CI: 1.20-3.36); group support for the mother (PR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.01-1.28); and orientation on breastfeeding (PR = 1.20; 95% CI: 1.08-1.33). Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding decreased 17% per month in the infant's life. Support groups and orientation by primary health care for breastfeeding were associated with increased exclusive breastfeeding prevalence.

New Findings from the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study: Data to Inform Action

This guest editorial describes findings from FITS 2008, places the results in the context of other large-scale nutrition studies for infants and toddlers, and examines the potential impact on policymakers’ efforts to address childhood obesity.

Relationship Between Bed Sharing and Breastfeeding: Longitudinal, Population-Based Analysis

This is an investigation into the longitudinal patterns of bed sharing, the characteristics associated with those patterns, and the relationship with breastfeeding. The study used prospective, population-based data from the United Kingdom to investigate nocturnal bed sharing at 5 time points from birth to 4 years of age. Of 14 062 live births, 7447 (53%) had data available for all time points. Latent class analysis identified 4 mutually exclusive groups, broadly described as nonsharers (66%), early bed sharers (only in infancy) (13%), late bed sharers (after the first year) (15%), and constant bed sharers (throughout the 4 years) (6%). The boy/girl ratio and the proportion of families of nonwhite ethnicity were slightly higher in all 3 bed-sharing groups, compared with the non-bed-sharing group. Higher maternal educational achievement and higher social class were positively associated with early bed sharing, negatively associated with late bed sharing, and not associated with constant bed sharing. The 3 bed-sharing patterns were related significantly to breastfeeding at 12 months (P < .001), whether the families shared beds late (odds ratio: 1.72 [95% confidence interval: 1.36-2.18]), early (odds ratio: 2.36 [95% confidence interval: 1.87-2.97]), or for the whole period (odds ratio: 5.29 [95% confidence interval: 4.05-6.91]). The prevalence of breastfeeding was significantly higher among the groups that shared beds constantly or early for each of the first 15 months after birth. Advice on whether bed sharing should be discouraged needs to take into account the important relationship with breastfeeding.

A multilevel model for the study of breastfeeding determinants in Brazil.

The benefits of breastfeeding for the children's health have been highlighted in many studies. The innovative aspect of the present study lies in its use of a multilevel model, a technique that has rarely been applied to studies on breastfeeding. The data reported were collected from a larger study, the Family Budget Survey-Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares, carried out between 2002 and 2003 in Brazil that involved a sample of 48 470 households. A representative national sample of 1477 infants aged 0-6 months was used. The statistical analysis was performed using a multilevel model, with two levels grouped by region. In Brazil, breastfeeding prevalence was 58%. The factors that bore a negative influence on breastfeeding were over four residents living in the same household [odds ratio (OR) = 0.68, 90% confidence interval (CI) = 0.51-0.89] and mothers aged 30 years or more (OR = 0.68, 90% CI = 0.53-0.89). The factors that positively influenced breastfeeding were the following: higher socio-economic levels (OR = 1.37, 90% CI = 1.01-1.88), families with over two infants under 5 years (OR = 1.25, 90% CI = 1.00-1.58) and being a resident in rural areas (OR = 1.25, 90% CI = 1.00-1.58). Although majority of the mothers was aware of the value of maternal milk and breastfed their babies, the prevalence of breastfeeding remains lower than the rate advised by the World Health Organization, and the number of residents living in the same household along with mothers aged 30 years or older were both factors associated with early cessation of infant breastfeeding before 6 months.

Breastfeeding practice in the Brazilian capital cities and the Federal District: current status and advances

To present the breastfeeding (BF) indicators obtained in the Second Survey on Prevalence of Breastfeeding in the Brazilian Capitals and the Federal District and to analyze their evolution from 1999 to 2008. A cross-sectional study was conducted in children younger than 1 year old who participated in the second phase of the multivaccination campaign in 2008. We used two-stage cluster sampling. The questionnaire consisted of closed questions, including data on consumption of breast milk, other types of milk, and other foods on the day prior to the survey. We analyzed the prevalence of BF in the first hour of life; exclusive BF in children younger than 6 months; BF in children aged 9 to 12 months; and medians of exclusive BF and BF. The time variation of BF was established by comparing the medians of exclusive BF and BF in 1999 and 2008. We obtained data from 34,366 children. We found that 67.7% (95%CI 66.7-68.8) of the children were breastfed in the first hour of life; the prevalence of exclusive BF in children aged 0 to 6 months was 41% (95%CI 39.7-42.4), while the prevalence of BF in children aged 9 to 12 months was 58.7% (95%CI 56.8-60.7). There was an increase of 30.7 days in the median duration of exclusive BF and 45.7 days in the median of BF. There was a significant improvement in the breastfeeding prevalence in the last decade. However, further efforts are required so that Brazil can reach BF rates compatible with the recommendations of the World Health Organization.

BREASTFEEDING PRACTICES IN A RURAL COMMUNITY IN KEDAH

Breast feeding has been actively encouraged in Malaysia in the last few years in all public hospitals. This study proposes to find out the prevalence of breast feeding in three villages in a rural community in Kedah, Malaysia. This was a cross sectional study on breastfeedingpractices in Kubang Pasu, a district of Kedah. Majority of the mothers initiated breast feeding but exclusive breastfeeding was only 21% for four months and predominant breastfeeding was about 12.6%. The breastfeeding practice was more prevalent among women from the higher educational strata and higher income than those from the lower strata and lower income (p&lt;0.05). Mothers with a positive attitude on breastfeeding and those who possess a higher knowledge were associated with a longer mean total duration of breastfeeding (p&lt;0.05).Spouse and family members played an important role in building up a mother's confidence to breast feed her child. Majority of the mothers received breast feeding information before birth from mainly the doctors and nurses. Older mothers, house wives and mothers with formaleducation practiced a longer duration of breast feeding (p&lt;0.05). The study also showed that there is an increase in the knowledge of breast feeding among the mothers and that they have a positive attitude to breastfeeding. Most of the mothers initiated breast feeding earlyand they received support on breastfeeding from the nurses and doctors.

Práticas alimentares no primeiro ano de vida de filhos de adolescentes

OBJETIVO: Estudar as práticas alimentares de menores de um ano, filhos de adolescentes, residentes no município de Volta Redonda (RJ). MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com 1 014 crianças selecionadas aleatoriamente na Campanha de Multivacinação de 2006, com aplicação de questionário fechado (recordatório de 24h). Foram analisadas características das mães e de seus filhos. As prevalências de aleitamento materno, aleitamento materno exclusivo, aleitamento materno predominante, a oferta de outros leites, a alimentação no primeiro dia em casa, a alimentação complementar oportuna, a oferta de sólidos ou semi-sólidos, e o uso de chupetas e mamadeiras foram investigadas. RESULTADOS: As prevalências aleitamento materno, aleitamento materno exclusivo e aleitamento materno predominante foram 85,5%, 32,0% e 9,6%, respectivamente, sem diferenças entre filhos de adolescentes e adultas. A oferta de outros leites, entretanto, foi significativamente maior junto aos filhos de adultas (45,3%, contra 31,2% observados entre adolescentes). Maiores de seis meses, filhos de adolescentes, revelaram menor prevalência de aleitamento materno que os de adultas (49,2% e 66,0%, respectivamente), assim como maior frequência no uso de chupetas, com diferenças significativas. A alimentação complementar foi similar entre filhos de adolescentes e adultas, com predominância da oferta de sopas ou papas. Carne e feijão foram utilizados com mais frequência em sólidos. CONCLUSÃO: Não foram observadas diferenças no aleitamento considerando a variável idade materna, adolescente ou não, antes de seis meses de vida e sim após esse período. Nos maiores de seis meses, chama também a atenção o maior no uso de chupetas, assim como a oferta e as características da alimentação complementar de filhos de adolescentes. Estudos de natureza compreensiva mostram-se necessários.

Exclusive Breastfeeding in Southern Brazil: Prevalence and Associated Factors

Worldwide strategies have been conducted in order to guarantee longer periods of exclusive breastfeeding for most children, especially those from developing countries. The evaluation of infant feeding practices and the identification of weaning risk factors are essential for public health policy planning. This cross-sectional study was carried out in Joinville, the biggest city of Santa Catarina State in the southern Brazilian region. The caregivers of children under 1 year of age were systematically selected for interview in previously drawn immunization units during the 2005 National Vaccination Campaign. A structured questionnaire was applied for collection of infant, maternal, and healthcare variables. A 24-hour food recall survey was included in order to evaluate infant feeding practices. Descriptive statistic analysis on breastfeeding prevalence and Poisson regression analysis of risk factors for discontinuing exclusive breastfeeding for infants up to 6 months of age were performed. Caregivers of 1,470 infants were interviewed. The feeding inquiry showed an overall rate of breastfeeding of 72.5% and a frequency of exclusive breastfeeding of 43.7% and 53.9% among infants younger than 6 and 4 months of age, respectively. The findings associated with the interruption of exclusive breastfeeding for infants up to 6 months were: higher infant age (P < 0.001), pacifier use (P < 0.001), and lower maternal educational level (P = 0.013). In developing countries, specific strategies must be created for the delivery of information about breastfeeding and the effect of pacifier use, especially for less educated women.

ANNOUNCEMENT

In 2006, the World Health Organization published universal growth standards for all children from birth to 5 years of age, based on a sample of breastfed children. The present study documented breastfeeding prevalence in the Flemish Growth Survey 2004, and compared growth of exclusively breastfed children in Flanders with local reference charts and WHO growth standards. A subset of 3287 children 0-3 years of age from the Flemish reference population was studied. Prevalence and duration of breastfeeding were estimated with the status quo method. SD scores (SDS) of length/height, weight, BMI, and head circumference were plotted by age. Breastfeeding is initiated for 68.2%of children, and approximately 25%were exclusively breastfed until at least 6 months of age. Breastfed children grow according to a typical pattern that deviates from the local reference curve. The average length of breastfed children is reasonably close to the WHO growth standard, but this does not hold for weight, BMI, or head circumference. In Flanders, breastfed children are more comparable to the local reference than to the WHO growth standards. Growth of breastfed children is similar to the WHO standards for length, but not for other traits. In Flanders, the use of the recent local growth reference is advised for both breastfed and formula-fed children.

Fatores associados à duração mediana do aleitamento materno em lactentes nascidos em município do estado de São Paulo

OBJETIVO: Verificar a prevalência do aleitamento materno entre lactentes, correlacionada com variáveis sócio-demográficas, em Campinas (SP). MÉTODOS: Entre os anos de 2004 e 2005, entrevistadores visitaram 2 857 domicílios de crianças menores de dois anos e aplicaram às mães um questionário estruturado, composto por perguntas sobre nível socioeconômico, amamentação e alimentação complementar. O estudo foi transversal, de base populacional, randomizado, realizado com base nos dados da Declaração de Nascidos Vivos e da prevalência do aleitamento. A duração mediana do aleitamento foi determinada pela análise de sobrevida de Kaplan Méier, e o ajuste do tempo, pela análise multivariada de Cox. A significância estatística adotada foi de 5%. RESULTADOS: A mediana do aleitamento materno exclusivo foi de 90 dias (Intervalo de Confiança - IC95%: 87,6-92,4) e a do aleitamento materno geral foi de 120 dias (IC95%: 117,7-122,3). Com um mês de vida, 66,2% das crianças estavam sendo amamentadas exclusivamente com leite do peito, índice que diminuiu para 2,3% aos seis meses. A introdução mediana para chá (IC95%: 113,2-126,8) e para leite em pó (IC95%: 112,7-127,3) foi de 120 dias. A cor da pele da criança, a escolaridade, a profissão e o estado civil maternos foram fatores associados à duração e ao tipo de amamentação. CONCLUSÃO: Fatores sócio-demográficos podem interferir na duração mediana do aleitamento materno que, embora esteja melhor do que em outros locais do Brasil, está abaixo do padrão recomendado internacionalmente, sugerindo a necessidade de maiores investimentos em relação a este fato, no município.

Determinants of exclusive breastfeeding practices in Ethiopia

Background: Despite the demonstrated benefits of breast milk, the prevalence of breastfeeding, in-particular exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), in many developing countries including Ethiopia is lower than the international recommendation of EBF for the first six months of life Objective: To assess the practice of EBF and explore its determinants in Ethiopia and provide policy makers and NGOs with relevant information for future planning and interventions. Methods: Raw data collected from nine regions and two city administrations using stratified cluster sampling method by the Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) 2005 were used to study the practice and determinants of EBF countrywide. Analysis was based on children whose age was less than six months and alive at the time of interview that was extracted from the women’s database. Results: The overall rates of exclusive and full breastfeeding were 49.0% and 68.2% respectively. Maternal education, marital status, wealth index and age of the child were closely associated with EBF practices, nonetheless, in the hierarchical analysis; being not married, middle/ richer/ richest wealth index, and child age 0-1and 2-3 month were retained as the predictors of EBF (P Conclusion: A range of maternal and child health attributes such as marital status, economical status and child age were found to influence the practice of EBF in Ethiopia. Actions to empower women and promotion of EBF campaign are recommended to achieve the fourth millennium development goal.

Bed-Sharing at 3 Months and Breast-Feeding at 1 Year in Southern Brazil

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between bedsharing at age 3 months and breastfeeding (BF) at age 12 months.Study designAlmost all children born in Pelotas, Brazil in 2004 (99.2%) were enrolled in a cohort study. At birth, age 3 months, and age 12 months, mothers were interviewed to gather information on sociodemographic, reproductive, BF, and bedsharing characteristics. Bedsharing was defined as habitual sharing of a bed between mother and child for the entire night or part of the night. The analysis was limited to children from single births who were breastfed at 3 months. Multivariate analyses were carried out using Poisson regression.ResultsOf 4231 live births, 2889 were breastfed at age 3 months. The prevalence of BF at age 12 months was 59.2% in the children who bedshared at 3 months and 44% in those who did not (adjusted prevalence ratio [PR] for weaning= 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.69-0.81; P < .001). Among children who were exclusively breastfed at 3 months, 75.1% of those who also bedshared were still breastfed at age 12 months, versus 52.3% of those who did not bedshare (adjusted PR = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.53- 0.75; P < .001). The adjusted PR was 0.74 (95% CI = 0.60-0.90; P = .003) in children who were predominantly breastfed and 0.83 (95% CI = 0.76-0.90; P < .001) in those who were partially breastfed.ConclusionsBedsharing at 3 months protected against weaning up to age 12 months.

The Prevalence of breastfeeding in prematures with very low birth weight - a systematic review

Due to the difficulty in establishing breast feeding among mothers of premature babies, several studies have been carried out to find out the frequency of this practice. National and international indexes are little known, particularly those related to extremely underweight premature babies. The objective of this study was to do a systematic bibliographic review on the prevalence/ duration of breast feeding among mothers of very low birth weight infants. Six data bases were consulted to search for articles on the subject published from 1997 onwards. From the 78 articles related to the topic, 9 dealt with the prevalence and/or duration of breast feeding among mothers of premature babies born weighing less than 1500 grams. Data were summarized in a table containing detailed information on each research. Some issues came up as essential to the subject of breast feeding among mothers of premature babies such as the concept of breast feeding adopted, the sample, the place and year of the study, the design of the study and the time of data collection. As breast feeding is closely related to cultural and social values from each region and country and the mother’s decision, it is difficult to compare prevalence from different contexts/worlds. However, some interventions in the studied population were efficient, showing that breast feeding is necessary, difficult and highly demanding yet possible through simple and intentionally systematized actions.