Influence of 1991-1995 War on Breast-feeding in Croatia: Questionnaire Study

The aim was to investigate the influence of 1991-1995 war on the prevalence duration and practice of breast-feeding Croatian children up to 5 years of age. In 1996 interviews were conducted in households with children up to 2 years of age (757 children) and 2-5 years of age (1180 children). Data for war-free areas war-affected areas and areas liberated after several years of occupation were analyzed separately. In 1996 94.6% of mothers started breast-feeding which lasted for an average of 3.4 ± 2.9 months. The proportion of mothers who started breast-feeding did not vary with respect to either war-related or geographic areas of the country. Breast-feeding was significantly longer in war-free than in war-affected areas (3.7 ± 3.1 vs. 2.7 ± 2.1 months respectively; p = 0.015). The duration of breast-feeding in Croatias geographic regions Istria Hrvatsko Primorje and Gorski Kotar was significantly longer than in Slavonia (3.9 ± 3.4 vs. 3.4 ± 3.0 respectively; p=0.037). On the country level 49.4% of babies were fed on demand and 43.3% according to a daily schedule. The percent of children who were not breast-fed was significantly higher (p = 0.002) in the older age group (2-5 years of age 9.3%) than in the younger age group (up to 2 years of age 5.4%). The war decreased the prevalence and duration of breast-feeding which might be related to regular humanitarian donations of infant food and mothers milk substitutes especially in the war-affected areas. UNICEF breast-feeding campaign which started in 1993 appeared to be effective. (authors)