OBJECTIVE Update breastfeeding indicators trend in Brazil for the last three decades, incorporating more up-to-date information from the National Health Survey.METHODS We used secondary data from national surveys with information on breastfeeding (1986, 1996, 2006, and 2013) to construct the time series of prevalence for the following indicators: exclusive breastfeeding in children under six months of age (EBF6m), breastfeeding in toddlers under 2 years of age (BF), continued breastfeeding at one year of age (BF1year), and continued breastfeeding at two years of age (BF2years).RESULTS The prevalence of EBF6m, BF, and BF1year increased until 2006 (rising from 4.7%, 37.4%, and 25.5% in 1986 to 37.1%, 56.3%, and 47.2% in 2006, respectively). For these three indicators, there was relative stabilization between 2006 and 2013 (36.6%, 52.1%, and 45.4%, respectively). The BF2years indicator had a distinct behavior – relatively stable prevalence, around 25% between 1986 and 2006, and a subsequent increase, reaching 31.8% in 2013.CONCLUSIONS The time series of breastfeeding indicators in Brazil shows an upward trend until 2006, stabilizing from that date onwards on three of the four indicators evaluated. This result, which can be considered as a warning sign, requires evaluation and revision of policies and programs to promote, protect and support breastfeeding, strengthening existing ones and proposing new strategies so that the prevalence of breastfeeding indicators returns to an upwards trend.

Women of lower socioeconomic status may need additional breastfeeding support after cesarean section delivery to prevent the introduction of milk-based prelacteals. Reducing the rates of cesarean section deliveries is likely to reduce the prevalence of prelacteal feeding.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between breastfeeding and hospitalization for pneumonia among children under 1 year old. Methods:Ecological study using secondary data of hospitalizations for pneumonia (outcome) and breastfeeding prevalence data (exposure) among children under 1 year old living in the Brazilian state capital cities and the Federal District in 2008. A negative binomial model of hospitalization was used to estimate the rate ratio (95% confidence interval), adjusted according to the Gini Index, and the prevalence rates of smokers in the general population and low birth weight individuals in the population investigated.Results: Breastfeeding prevalence among children between 9 and 12 months old and exclusive breastfeeding prevalence among children under 6 months old were associated with a lower rate ratio of hospitalization for pneumonia (RR = 0.62; 95%CI 0.51-0.74 and RR = 0.52; 95%CI 0.39-0.69, respectively). Conclusion:Increased prevalence rates of breastfeeding during the first year of life and exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months of life can reduce the number of hospitalizations for pneumonia.J Pediatr (Rio J). 2011;87(5):399-404: Breastfeeding, hospitalization, pneumonia. ResumoObjetivo: Avaliar a relação entre o aleitamento materno e as internações hospitalares por pneumonia entre crianças com menos de 1 ano de vida. Métodos:Estudo epidemiológico ecológico que utilizou dados secundários de internação por pneumonia (desfecho) e de prevalência de aleitamento materno (exposição) na população de crianças com menos de 1 ano de vida nas capitais brasileiras e no Distrito Federal em 2008. A razão de taxas (RT) de internação hospitalar foi estimada por modelo estatístico binomial negativo (intervalo de confiança de 95%), ajustado pelo índice de Gini da população e pela prevalência de fumantes na população em geral e de baixo peso ao nascer na população estudada.Resultados: A prevalência de aleitamento materno em crianças de 9 a 12 meses incompletos de vida e a prevalência do aleitamento materno exclusivo entre crianças menores de 6 meses mostraram-se associadas a uma menor taxa de internação hospitalar por pneumonia (RT = 0,62; IC95% 0,51-0,74, e RT = 0,52; IC95% 0,39-0,69, respectivamente). Conclusão:O aumento das prevalências de aleitamento materno no 1º ano de vida e de aleitamento materno exclusivo nos primeiros 6 meses de uma população podem reduzir as internações hospitalares por pneumonias.J Pediatr (Rio J). 2011;87(5):399-404

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Background: The use of medicinal plants or other alternative practices can be the only therapeutic resources for many communities and ethnic groups, especially in developing countries. In Brazil, the Ministry of Health incorporated Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) as a public health policy since 2006. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of CAM use in Brazil. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study performed as an epidemiological survey, with data from the National Health Survey, 2013 that evaluated a sample of adult Brazilians (18+ years old). The outcome was the use of CAM therapies, such as acupuncture, homeopathy, medicinal plants and herbal medicines in the last 12 months. We employed a logistic regression model (CI 95%) to evaluate the chances of CAM use. Results: The prevalence of CAM use in Brazil was 4.5%. The subjects with higher chances to use CAM were: women (AOR = 1.42), aged > 40 years (AOR = 1.64), with higher educational levels (AOR = 2.35), and residents at North (AOR = 2.02) and South (AOR = 1.67) regions of Brazil, all with p-value < 0.001. According to the socioeconomic status, subjects from upper classes had higher chances to use acupuncture and homeopathy when compared to the other classes, and individuals from lower classes had higher chances to use medicinal plants and herbal medicines. Almost half of all individuals reporting CAM use did so outside the health care system. The Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) was the least used funding for CAM when compared to other types of funding. Conclusions: We recommend that the Ministry of Health invests in capacity building for health professionals who work with CAM, providing structure for those practices in health services, increasing the access of CAM therapies for SUS users, and improving the registering of information about those therapies, encouraging the use of CAM by the Brazilian population.

(r = -0,483, p = 0,014), sendo essa correlação mais forte para meninas (r = -0,521, p = 0,016) que para os meninos (r = -0,476, p = 0,008 p=0.014). This correlation was stronger for girls p=0.008) than for boys p=0.016

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To estimate the non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) mortality risk among agricultural workers in Brazil's southern states, we used death certificates to identify cases of NHL between the ages of 20 and 69 years from residents of nonurban municipalities between 1996 and 2005 (n = 1,317). Controls were randomly selected from those whose underlying cause of death did not include neoplasm or hematological diseases and paired with cases by sex, age, year of death, and state of residence (n = 2,634). Odds of being an agricultural worker among cases and controls were estimated by conditional logistic regression, stratified and adjusted by sex, state, education, and race. An increased risk of death by NHL was observed among agricultural workers 20-39 years old (OR = 2.06; 95% CI 95%, 1.20-3.14). Our results suggest that the young agricultural workers from southern Brazil were more likely to die of NHL compared to nonagricultural workers.