Influence of skin-to-skin contact on breastfeeding: results of the Mexican National Survey of Demographic Dynamics, 2018.

BACKGROUND: Skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding initiation within the first hour after birth are key recommendations to promote breastfeeding. In Mexico, the National Survey of Demographic Dynamics 2018, known by its Spanish acronym ENADID, collected information about breastfeeding practices. The ENADID survey is probabilistic and allows results to be generalized to the entire population in Mexico. METHODS: Information from a public database featuring 26,587 mother-baby pairs was analyzed by proportions, means and associations, as well as machine learning methods, to conduct a comparison among the pairs according to immediate skin-to-skin contact after delivery status. RESULTS: Skin-to-skin contact was described by 78.7% of the mothers and was associated with receiving an explanation regarding how to give breastmilk or the breast to the baby immediately following birth [Odds ratio (OR) 6.46; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 6.02, 6.97], initiating breastfeeding in the first hour of life (OR 2.01; 95% CI (1.84, 2.18) and a breastfeeding duration of ≥ 6 months (OR 1.16; 95% CI 1.08, 1.25). The breastfeeding duration, in days, was greater in the group with skin-to-skin contact than in the group without skin contact. CONCLUSIONS: In Mexico, immediate and uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact between newborns and their mothers should be facilitated. Support should be provided to mothers to favor skin-to-skin contact and breasting initiation during the first hour of life, ideally through an empathic explanation by trained health personnel. Future research should focus on the evaluation of strategies to modify maternity services to facilitate immediate skin-to-skin contact after delivery and develop training programs for health personnel to support the initiation of breastfeeding during the first hour of life.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices about Zika among a University Community Located in an Endemic Zone in Mexico.

To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices about the Zika virus in both students and workers at the University of Veracruz, an online survey was conducted. The participants were divided into two groups: one according to sex, the other according to whether they were workers or students. Their answers were classified into knowledge, attitudes, and practices and they were rated as low, medium, and high. The results showed that knowledge about Zika prevailing among the university population is considered as medium in 79.4% of the study population. Most respondents know that the mosquito spreads the Zika virus (98.8%) and the clinical characteristics, while sexual transmission by the virus is little known (36.85%). Both the univariate analysis (OR (CI5) 0.227 (0.070⁻0.735), p = 0.013] and multivariate analysis (OR (CI95) 0.234 (0.071⁻778), p = 0.018] showed that belonging to the health sciences area is related to having a greater knowledge about Zika. Despite the existing knowledge, a low level of prevention practices prevails in the whole community (55%). A medium level of knowledge about Zika prevailed, while proper implementation of preventive measures for Zika is low, despite the fact that the state of Veracruz-the place where the University is located-is an endemic area.