Prevalência de desmame precoce e fatores relacionados em crianças do Distrito Federal e entorno

Objective: To verify the prevalence of early weaning in children under one year of age and to identify social factors correlated with this practice. Method: Cross-sectional study conducted from february to september 2017. The sample consisted of 235 mothers of children aged 0 to 12 months who were in health centers for routine consultations. A questionnaire was applied with questions addressing maternal, child and breastfeeding characteristics. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics® software, version 22.0. Results: The prevalence of early weaning was 52.4% (p <0.01), the main reasons given by mothers for early weaning were “return to work” with 20.3% (p <0.01) and “Weak / non-sustaining milk” with 13.3% (p <0.01). Data were analyzed considering 5% of statistical significance and 95% confidence interval. Conclusion: Most mothers are aware of the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, but social factors directly influence early weaning. Mothers' return to work and the insecurity of thinking that milk is weak and not supporting the child are frequent problems.