More than half of children in Brazil are breastfed for more than 1 year and 4 months. Almost all of them (96.2%) had been breastfed at least once. And, two out of three babies (62.4%) were breastfed within the first hour of life.
Currently in Brazil, exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months covers 45.8% of babies, 52.1% of children up to 12 months old and 35.5% of babies up to 24 months old.
The numbers are below the WHO target of reaching, by 2030, 70% of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months.
The data are from an unprecedented survey carried out by the National Study on Child Food and Nutrition (ENANI-2019), commissioned by the Ministry of Health and coordinated by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health recommend that breastfeeding be continued until they are two years of age or older, and that babies up to the sixth month of life take only breast milk.
Despite having identified an increase of more than 12 times in relation to the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among children under four months, in comparison with the year 1986, the national coordinator of Enani, Gilbero Kac, head professor of the Josué de Nutrition Institute Castro, from UFRJ, warned that the numbers are still far from the targets stipulated by the WHO.
To improve these rates in Brazil, researcher in Public Health at Fiocruz and coordinator of the Breastfeeding area at Enani-2019, Cristiano Boccolini, warns that more attention is needed from the public authorities for mothers who are breastfeeding.
“Brazil needs to expand support for women who breastfeed. Offering specialized care to these women in health services, giving them all the support and security in relation to doubts and difficulties they may have in relation to breastfeeding”, she emphasizes.
Another data presented shows that one in five mothers breastfed another person’s child or let their child be breastfed by another woman.
It is the first time that a nationally representative survey addresses the so-called cross-breastfeeding, a practice that is contraindicated by the Ministry of Health due to the risk of transmission of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).
Cross-breastfeeding has been more frequent in the North of the country (34.8%). Then come the Southeast (21.3%), Northeast (20.3%), Midwest (18.7%) and South (12.5%) regions.
Regarding the profile of women, the prevalence of this practice is more common among black (24.8%) and brown (23.7%) women, followed by white women (15.5%).
Also according to the survey by Enani, donations to human milk banks (BLH) are low and only 4.8% of mothers of children under two years of age adhere to the practice.
According to Boccolini, breastfeeding can be harmed by the use of pacifiers and bottles.
“These objects can generate the so-called beak confusion, in which the baby is not able to make the correct grip on the mother’s chest. This can lead to early weaning,” he says.
Enani is the first nationwide survey that simultaneously assessed the practices of breastfeeding, complementary feeding and individual food consumption in children under 5 years of age.
Visits were made to households in 123 municipalities across the country between February 2019 and March 2020, covering 14,558 children under 5 years of age.
The study, commissioned by the MS, and coordinated by the Josué de Castro Nutrition Institute of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), was carried out in partnership with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), and the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). ) and the Fluminense Federal University (UFF), with funding from the General Coordination of Food and Nutrition of the Ministry of Health and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).
Reference: CNN Brasil
