Objective: To describe the history of the Kangaroo Mother Care and present scientific evidence about benefits of this practice on morbidity and mortality, psychological and neurological development and breastfeeding of low birth weight infants.Sources of data: Papers about Kangaroo Mother Care published from 1983 to 2004 were consulted, selected in Medline and Lilacs, as well as books, thesis and technical publications from the Brazilian Health Department. Summary of the findings:Since its first description, Kangaroo Mother Care has been extensively studied. The analysis of randomized trials showed that it consists in a protection factor to breastfeeding at discharge (relative risk 0.41, 95% confidence interval 0.25 to 0.68). The method was always associated with the following reduced risks: nosocomial infection at 41 weeks corrected gestational age (relative risk 0.49, 95% confidence interval 0.25 to 0.93), severe illness (relative risk 0.30, 95% confidence interval 0.14 to 0.67), lower respiratory tract disease at 6 months (relative risk 0.37, 95% confidence interval 0.15 to 0.89) and better gain of weight per day (weighted mean difference 3.6 g/day, 95% confidence interval 0.8 to 6.4). Psychomotor development at 12 months corrected age was similar in the two groups. There was no evidence of a difference in infants mortality.Conclusions: A positive impact of Kangaroo Mother Care on breastfeeding was found. Although the method appears to reduce severe infant morbidity without any serious deleterious effect reported, there is still insufficient evidence to recommend its routine use. It is necessary to develop studies about effectiveness, acceptability and applicability of the method in the Brazilian context. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2004;80(5 Suppl):S173-S180: Kangaroo mother care, kangaroo care, skin-to-skin contact.

Análise de implantação da Rede Amamenta Brasil: desafios e perspectivas da promoção do aleitamento materno na atenção básica Deployment analysis of the Brazilian Breastfeeding Network: challenges and prospects for promoting breastfeeding in primary careAnálisis sobre la implementación de la Red Amamanta Brasil: desafíos y perspectivas de la promoción de la lactancia materna en la atención primaria

Objective: To evaluate the impact of kangaroo care on exclusive breastfeeding in low birth weight newborns until 6 months of life. Methods:Prospective study carried out with 43 newborns (23 allocated in the kangaroo group and 23 in a control group) weighing < 2,000 g and staying in the neonatal unit for at least 7 days. Exclusive breastfeeding rates between the groups were compared until the age of 6 months. The chi-square test for categorical variables was used and the statistical significance level was 0.05. Results:Exclusive breastfeeding rates were higher in the kangaroo group at hospital discharge (82.6 vs. 0%; p = 0.00), at 40 weeks of gestational age (73.9 vs. 31.6%; p = 0.01), at 3 months (43.5 vs. 5.0%; p = 0.005), and at 6 months (22.7 vs. 5.9%; p = 0.20). Conclusion:Kangaroo care showed to be a facilitator of exclusive breastfeeding for low birth weight newborns until 6 months of life.J Pediatr (Rio J). 2010;86(3):250-253: Kangaroo care, exclusive breastfeeding, low birth weight.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of kangaroo care on exclusive breastfeeding in low birth weight newborns until 6 months of life. Methods:Prospective study carried out with 43 newborns (23 allocated in the kangaroo group and 23 in a control group) weighing < 2,000 g and staying in the neonatal unit for at least 7 days. Exclusive breastfeeding rates between the groups were compared until the age of 6 months. The chi-square test for categorical variables was used and the statistical significance level was 0.05.Results: Exclusive breastfeeding rates were higher in the kangaroo group at hospital discharge (82.6 vs. 0%; p = 0.00), at 40 weeks of gestational age (73.9 vs. 31.6%; p = 0.01), at 3 months (43.5 vs. 5.0%; p = 0.005), and at 6 months (22.7 vs. 5.9%; p = 0.20). Conclusion:Kangaroo care showed to be a facilitator of exclusive breastfeeding for low birth weight newborns until 6 months of life. ResumoObjetivo: Avaliar o impacto do método canguru sobre o aleitamento materno exclusivo nos 6 primeiros meses de vida em recém-nascidos de baixo peso. Métodos:Estudo prospectivo realizado com 43 bebês (23 do grupo canguru e 20 do grupo-controle) com peso < 2.000 g e permanência na unidade neonatal por pelo menos 7 dias. Os grupos foram comparados quanto à frequência da amamentação exclusiva até o sexto mês de vida, utilizando-se o teste do qui-quadrado, adotando-se nível de significância de 0,05. Resultados:A amamentação exclusiva foi superior no grupo canguru à alta (82,6 versus 0%; p = 0,00), às 40 semanas de idade gestacional (73,9 versus 31,6%; p = 0,01), aos 3 meses (43,5 versus 5,0%; p = 0,005) e aos 6 meses (22,7 versus 5,9%; p = 0,20) de vida. Conclusão:O método canguru foi facilitador da amamentação exclusiva para bebês de baixo peso até o sexto mês de vida.J Pediatr (Rio J). 2010;86(3):250-253: Método canguru, aleitamento materno exclusivo, baixo peso ao nascer.

Como citar este artigo: Venancio SI, de Almeida H. Método Mãe Canguru: aplicação no Brasil, evidências científicas e impacto sobre o aleitamento materno. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2004;80(5 Supl):S173-S180. AbstractObjective: To describe the history of the Kangaroo Mother Care and present scientific evidence about benefits of this practice on morbidity and mortality, psychological and neurological development and breastfeeding of low birth weight infants. Summary of the findings: Since its first description, KangarooMother Care has been extensively studied. The analysis of randomized trials showed that it consists in a protection factor to breastfeeding at discharge (relative risk 0.41, 95% confidence interval 0.25 to 0.68). The method was always associated with the following reduced risks: nosocomial infection at 41 weeks corrected gestational age (relative risk 0.49, 95% confidence interval 0.25 to 0.93), severe illness (relative risk 0.30, 95% confidence interval 0.14 to 0.67), lower respiratory tract disease at 6 months (relative risk 0.37, 95% confidence interval 0.15 to 0.89) and better gain of weight per day (weighted mean difference 3.6 g/day, 95% confidence interval 0.8 to 6.4). Psychomotor development at 12 months corrected age was similar in the two groups. There was no evidence of a difference in infants mortality.Conclusions: A positive impact of Kangaroo Mother Care on breastfeeding was found. Although the method appears to reduce severe infant morbidity without any serious deleterious effect reported, there is still insufficient evidence to recommend its routine use. It is necessary to develop studies about effectiveness, acceptability and applicability of the method in the Brazilian context. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2004;80(5 Supl):S173-S180: Kangaroo mother care, kangaroo care, skin-to-skin contact.