Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding up to six months of age in full-term newborns during the pandemic and factors associated with early weaning

Abstract

Purpose: to investigate the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months old in full-term newborns at a public hospital and the main factors associated with early weaning, during the pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome. Methods: an observational, cross-sectional study with 98 mothers of full-term babies, conducted from January to August 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants answered two structured questionnaires. One was applied immediately after childbirth, with questions on identification and socioeconomic data, obstetric-gynecological background, and current pregnancy and childbirth. The second questionnaire, applied 6 months after childbirth, had questions about the child's feeding status. Statistical tests were used to associate the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months old and other variables, at the 5% significance level. Results: 16.3% of the babies were exclusively breastfeeding until the sixth month, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the public hospital where the study was carried out. Exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months old was not associated with the study variables. Conclusion: the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding until the sixth month in full-term babies, in a public hospital, during the COVID-19 pandemic, was 16.3%. None of the variables analyzed was associated with early weaning.