Breast-feeding patterns in nine Latin American and Caribbean countries

Abstract

This article uses data from demographic and health surveys carried out in nine Latin American and Caribbean countries between 1984 and 1988 to compare breast-feeding patterns in those countries, where findings indicate that 6% to 23% of the infants are not breast-fed beyond two months of age. Although wide variations in breast-feeding patterns occurred, a number of general trends were noted. To begin with, the mean rate of breast-feeding declined relatively fast in one group of countries (Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago), where half the infants surveyed had been weaned from the breast well before their first birthday. This differs from the situation found in the other four countries (Bolivia, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Peru), where half the infants were still being breast-fed during their second year of life. Within each of the nine countries, the mean breast-feeding duration was longer in rural than in urban areas and among women with relatively low levels of education. The direction of these relationships was similar when analyses were performed across countries. In addition, a strong inverse relationship was found between the percentage of births attended by health workers in the countries surveyed and the mean duration of breast-feeding in those countries.