Milk Consumption in Infants under One Year of Age and Variables Associated with Non-maternal Milk Consumption

OBJECTIVE To verify the type of milk consumed by children under one year of age and identify variables associated with non-maternal milk consumption (formula or cow milk). METHODS Cross-sectional study developed during the 2012 National Vaccination Campaign against Poliomyelitis. The companions of 935 children under one year of age answered a structured questionnaire on the child's diet in the last 24 hours. The estimates are presented by points, with 95%CI. F-statistics were used to check for differences in the proportion of the types of milk consumption according to the children's age range (<6 months and 6-11 months) and the association between non-maternal milk consumption and the study variables. RESULTS The consumption of maternal milk and child formula was higher for children under six months of age - corresponding to 82.8% (95%CI 78.5-86.3) and 70.4% (95%CI 61.4-78.0), respectively -, whereas the consumption of cow milk was higher among children between 6 and 11 months of age - 74.2% (95%CI 66.5-80.6) -, with differences in the consumption proportions (p<0.0001). The variables associated with higher cow milk consumption were lower maternal education (p<0.0001), the fact that the mother does not have a paid occupation (p=0.0015), child doctor's appointment in the public health network (p<0.0001) and participation in the Child's Milk Program (p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS The infants received cow's milk early (before the first year of life), especially children from families with lower socioeconomic levels and children who took part in a specific social program for milk distribuition.