Factores asociados al abandono de la lactancia materna exclusiva en una muestra de madres de Lima, Perú, 2013

Abstract

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) has proven to be highly beneficial for children’s health. Identifying the associated factors with its cessation is useful in order to target specific groups for preventive interventions. Objective: To evaluate the associated factors with EBF cessation before six months of age in women with infants, living in a district in Lima. Methods: A cross-sectional analytic study was performed. It evaluated mothers with infants aged 6-24 months, in a periurban district in Lima, Peru, 2013. The study outcome was cessation in EBF before six months of age. Sociodemographic variables, factors related to gestation and delivery, and factors properly related to breastfeeding were assessed. Crude and adjusted prevalence ratios and their respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated through simple and multiple Poisson regression. Results: From the 109 mothers included in the analysis, 85.3% were 18 years old or more and all of them had a monthly family income under 250 US dollars. Seventy percent of women interrupted EBF before six months of age. Statistically significant association was found between EBF cessation and being primiparous (PR: 1.54; 95%CI: 1.20-1.98), having problems with the nipples (PR: 1.58; 95%CI: 1.07-2.33) and the perception of infant’s persistent hunger with EBF (PR: 1.35; 95%CI: 1.01-1.79). Conclusion: EBF cessation frequency was high in the study sample. Primiparity, having problems with the nipples and the perception of infant’s persistent hunger with EBF were found as associated factors. Preventive strategies might specially focus in mothers with this characteristics.