RESUMO
From July to August 1988, a cross sectional analytical study on factors influencing bottle-feeding practice in infants at the Well-Child Clinic Dr. Pirngadi Hospital Medan, was conducted by using a designated interview and questionnaire. The sample size was determined by a standard formula. The purpose of this study was to define factors influencing bottle-feeding practice in infants. During that period, 264 cases were studied. Of 85 infants age 0-3 months, 10 infants (11.7%) were exclusively bottle-fed, 35 (41.2%) bottle- and breast fed and 40 (47.1%) exclusively breast-fed. The practice of bottle feeding seemed to increase with age. In 85 infants of 7-12 months old, 28 (32.9%) were bottle-fed, 29 (34.2%) breast and bottle-fed, and 28 (32.9%) breast-fed. The main reason to use bottle-feeding was that the mother worked outside the house as in the group of infants with working-mothers 30.7% were bottle-fed. In relation to mother's education, it seemed that the practice of bottle-feeding was more frequently found in infants of high-educated mothers (26%). The one child families preferred bottle-feeding more (30.7%). Based on the family income, it seemed that the higher the income, the more they tended to give bottle-feeding. In the age group of 0-6 months, there were 176 well-nourished babies of which 74 were (42.1%) breast feeding, 75 (42.6%) breast- and bottle-feeding, and 27 (15.3%) bottle-feeding. Whereas, of 54 wellnourished babies aged 7-12 months, 15 infants (27.7%) were breast-fed, 20 (37.7%) breast- and bottle-fed, and 19 (35.2%) bottle-fed.
