Abstract

PIP: In Chile in low income populations, research shows that the longer infants breast feed the lower the incidence of malnutrition (p.05) in these infants. Yet mothers with 9 years of formal education and often members of the low income group are at the highest risk of giving birth to infants 3000 g who are at highest risk of death. Indeed, it is among these groups that infant malnutrition rates are the highest. Therefore, to reduce infant mortality in these groups, more women should breast feed longer. Other determinants of women choosing to not breast feed or not breast feeding for a long period of time in Chile include work, poor nutritional status, smoking, and poor health team attitudes and practices. To counteract the negative trend in breast feeding and thereby increase the duration of breast feeding in low income mothers in Chile, the Ministry of Health (MOH) initiated its National Program for Breast-feeding Promotion (NPBP) in 1980. The educational component included training primary health care and maternity hospital health teams and distribution of educational brochures to pregnant women. If pregnant women weighed less than what the new 1980 standard recommended, they received nutritional supplements as part of the Supplementary Food Program (SPF). A study revealed that in an area where pregnant mothers received educational materials and support from the health team and food supplements, the proportion of 6 month olds exclusively breast fed rose 61.4% (p.001) in 2 years while it rose 40.7% in the area where only the SPF had been implemented. In Santiago, the percentage of breast fed 3 month olds also increased after introduction of NPBP (46%-63% [1977-1982]). The Ministries of Education and Labor could also contribute to healthier babies by preparing a family life curriculum and sponsoring legislation to extend maternity leave for working mothers.