Aprile 2000 - Volume XIX - numero 4

Medico e Bambino

Pagina verde

Frequenza e durata dell’allattamento al seno nella provincia di benevento

Paolo D’Argenio¹, Ersilia Palombi², Elisabetta Versino³, Maria Pia Aversano³, Rosa Bassi³, Anna Di Fiore³, Ferri Michela ³, Nicolina Glielmo³, Iglio Giovanni³, Petroccia Clementina ³, Lea Sacco³, Sara Sasso³, Giuseppe Salamina⁵

¹Servizio Epidemiologia e Prevenzione ASL Benevento;
²Servizio Igiene degli Alimenti e della Nutrizione ASL Benevento;
³Unità Operative Materno Infantili Distretti Sanitari ASL Benevento;
⁴ Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Microbiologia- Università di Torino;
⁵Osservatorio Epidemiologico per le Dipendenze – ASL5 Regione Piemonte

We have assessed the frequency and the duration of breast-feeding (only mother’s milk or mixed) in the new-borns of the Benevento province by interviewing the mothers at their children’s second vaccination (average age 21 weeks - min 1” max 40). Our findings have then been submitted to complex statistical surveys. The risk of non breast-feeding is 89%. It is higher for low-weight children (OR) and for the new-borns of those mothers who have not breast-fed their previous children (OR). The probability of non breast-feeding is double for those mothers who have not been properly informed by their reference hospital. The probability of breast-feeding declines by 2.3% per week, and it reaches 50% at 17-18 weeks. The risk is significantly higher for mothers without any previous breast-feeding experience, for smoking mothers, and for underweight children. Our findings are better than those obtained from a survey carried out 3 years ago, and they can be considered positive as compared to other Italian results. However, they remain unsatisfactory, and they require a stronger and more targeted effort in the future.

Vuoi citare questo contributo?