Prevalence of early weaning in a sanitary district of Western Amazon

Abstract

It is well known how important are breastfeeding practices to prevent many health problems. The aim of this paper is to determine the prevalence of early weaning, in a district of Rio Branco, capital city of the State of Acre. This is a population-based prevalence study, involving all families with children behind two (2) years of age, in six (6) neighborhoods of the District of Tucumã. The population was defined based on the census provided by the Ministry of Health’s Primary Attention Information System. Early weaning was defined as the total cessation of breastfeeding under three (3) months of age. The prevalence of early weaning was 16,1% (63/392). The prevalence among children from poorer neighbourhoods was significantly higher (p<0.05) than among children from middle class neighbourhoods (19.6% against 11.7%). The medium duration of breastfeeding was 12.2 months. The prevalence of weaning found among children under three (3) months of age at the Tucumã District is similar to other studies in Brazil and in the North region.