Aspectos históricos, científicos, socioeconômicos e institucionais do aleitamento materno

Abstract

As fontes bibliográficas pesquisadas para esta revisão foram artigos publicados em revistas científicas indexadas, livros, documentos da Organização Mundial da Saúde, Ministério da Saúde e relatórios estaduais e nacionais relacionados à prevalência e medidas de promoção do aleitamento materno. Foi utilizada a base de dados PubMed abrangendo o período de 1952 a 2008. Outros artigos foram identificados em decorrência de citações bibliográficas nas fontes de informações previamente consultadas. Esta pesquisa abrangeu os aspectos históricos relacionados ao aleitamento materno, as evidências científicas de efeitos a curto e longo prazos, fatores associados, modalidades, duração e prevalência do aleitamento materno. Concluiu-se que, apesar da importância amplamente reconhecida dessa prática para mãe, filho, família, comunidade e Estado, e de todas as ações realizadas para promoção, proteção e apoio ao aleitamento materno, os resultados demonstraram que o cumprimento das metas e recomendações internacionais ainda denotam situações insatisfatórias.

Meanings attributed to breastfeeding in the first two years of life: a study with women from two municipalities in the Recôncavo Baiano region of Bahia, Brazil

“…The energy and nutrient content of breast milk is adequate for the physiological immaturity of the infant, and its ability to protect against gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases make breast milk the ideal food capable of meeting the nutritional needs of the infant, especially during the first months of life of the child and promote the child's full development 1, 3,5,7,31 . Some health professionals cite these biological factors and many contents disclosed by the media, making explicit the benefits of breastfeeding and evident the preventive aspects for the child 7,10,12 . It is possible that these contents and aspects are internalized by the mothers as an important event for the nourishment and health of their children.…”

“…It is possible that these contents and aspects are internalized by the mothers as an important event for the nourishment and health of their children. This became evident at the beginning of the 1980s, with the creation of the National Breastfeeding Promotion Policy (Política Nacional de Incentivo ao Aleitamento Materno -PNIAM), when the competent institutions began a process of regulating and controlling advertisements and sales of modified milks and infant formulas, previously called "maternalized" 7,10 .…”

“…It is also recognized that the advantages of breastfeeding go beyond the biological protection provided by breast milk, and reach an economic dimension, generating positive impacts on health services, family and society [4][5][6][7] .…”

“…If, on the one hand, the knowledge about the benefits of breastfeeding to the health of the mother-infant dyad is consistent, on the other, the duration of this practice is short in many parts of the world, including Brazil, even though mothers often report their willingness to breastfeed as recommended by health services 5,[7][8][9] .…”

“…In this sense, understanding the hybridism of this phenomenon has been a challenge in the world 1,2,9 and, especially, in Brazil 4,5,7 .…”