[Breast feeding and weaning: a survey in rural communities of Mexico]. / Lactancia materna, destete y ablactación: una encuesta en comunidades rurales de México.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of lactation, the use of industrialized milk and weaning, and the factors related to lack of breast-feeding and early weaning in young infants of rural communities. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Transversal study performed by last year medical students doing Social Service in 222 rural communities in Mexico who applied structured interviews to 5,409 families with children younger than 1 year of age. RESULTS: The percentages of children who were never breast-fed were: in the north (N) 21.4%, in the center (C) 7.6% and in the south (S) 5.3%. Children who were still being breast-fed, either exclusively or with mixed feeding by the third trimester were 35.6% (N), 67.6% (C) and 77.5% (S); in the second trimester, 67.2% (N), 40.9% (C) and 51.6% (S) had been weaned. In the N region it was observed that lack of breast-feeding was associated to the health personnel who attended delivery, mothers with six or more years of education and less than four children, dwellings with permanent material floors, two or more household commodities and a head of the family different from the father. Early weaning was essentially associated to the same factors; additionally, to the child being taken care of by someone different from the mother, artificial lactation by parental decision or due to medical recommendation and the use of health services provided by social security or private physicians. CONCLUSIONS: Artificial lactation and early weaning are typical of small families, with high educational level of the mother, better living conditions and contact with medical personnel, especially in the N of the country. Children are weaned before the second semester of life and it is therefore deemed necessary to implement health programs which promote breast-feeding and gradual weaning after the sixth month of life among the infant population of Mexican rural communities.

Feeding patterns of Mexican infants recorded in the 1988 National Nutrition Survey.

Infant feeding patterns in Mexico were analyzed using data from the 1988 National Nutrition Survey. The prevalence of breast-feeding among infants declined from 86% at birth to approximately 40% after three months of age. The hazard rate of terminating breast-feeding increased by 38% at the national level and by 87% in the northern region with each increment in household living conditions, decreased 50% in rural municipalities in the south and decreased by 20% in all regions for each month that the introduction of other milks was delayed. The rate of other milk introduction increased by between 16% and 20% at the national level and within the central and southern regions with each household living condition increment but decreased by between 20 to 30% within indigenous or rural. Finally, the probability of solid food introduction increased by between 8 and 15% with each household living condition increment.

PIP: Infant feeding patterns are important determinants of child health and survival. This paper reports findings from an analysis of infant feeding patterns in Mexico using data from the 1988 National Nutrition Survey. Information was obtained on 7426 children younger than five years of age and 19,278 women aged 12-49 years from 13,236 surveyed households. 1518 children under one year old were included in the analysis, 52% of whom were male. At the national level, the prevalence of breastfeeding among infants declined from 86% at birth to approximately 40% after three months of age. The hazard rate of terminating breastfeeding increased by 38% at the national level and by 87% in the northern region with each increment in household living conditions, decreased by 50% in rural municipalities in the south, and decreased by 20% in all regions for each month that the introduction of other milks was delayed. The rate of other milk introduction increased by 16-20% at the national level and within the central and southern regions with each household living condition increment, but decreased by 20-30% within indigenous or rural areas. The probability of solid food introduction increased by 8-15% with each household living condition increment.