OBJECTIVE To describe breastfeeding practices in rural China using globally recommended indicators and to compare them with practices in neighbouring countries and large emerging economies. METHODS A community-based, cross-sectional survey of 2354 children younger than 2 years in 26 poor, rural counties in 12 central and western provinces was conducted. Associations between indicators of infa...

The pattern of infant and young child feeding that provides the most benefit includes being put to the breast within an hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, continued breastfeeding along with complementary foods up to 2 years of age or beyond, and avoidance of any bottle-feeding. However, since there are no published data from Kenya regarding trends in these feeding practices, t...

BACKGROUND The proportion of mothers in Japan who breastfeed exclusively has been low since the 1970s. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the time of first breastfeed after birth and the proportion of mothers fully breastfeeding up to four months postpartum. METHODS A survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire. The participants were 318 mothers ...

AIM An increased duration of breastfeeding has many advantages for the child and mother. However, little research to date has investigated the influence of maternal psychosocial well-being during pregnancy on the duration of breastfeeding. This study aimed to examine whether experience of life stress events, social contact/support in pregnancy and postpartum emotional disturbance had an effect ...

BACKGROUND There is increased recognition of the importance of breastfeeding at a national level as evidenced by the increased number of Canadian mothers initiating breastfeeding. However, adolescent mothers (<19 years), compared to all other mothers, have lower rates of breastfeeding initiation and duration. The purpose of this study was to examine the facilitating influences and barriers to i...

OBJECTIVE. Despite limited epidemiologic evidence, concern has been raised that breastfeeding and its duration may increase the risk of early childhood caries. The objective of this study was to assess the potential association of breastfeeding and other factors with the risk for early childhood caries among young children in the United States. METHODS. Data about oral health, infant feeding, a...

Background: Domestic violence as a social factor has a significant role in the duration and quality of breastfeeding. Objectives: This study aims to determine association of domestic violence and early suppression of lactation in Mothers Referring to Health Centers in Lahijan- Iran. Methods: The present study is a retrospective case-control study. Participants included 235 mothers, 150 breast...

BACKGROUND We previously reported no benefit of early weaning for HIV-free survival of children born to HIV-infected mothers in intent-to-treat analyses. Since early weaning was poorly accepted, we conducted a secondary analysis to investigate whether beneficial effects may have been hidden. METHODS 958 HIV-infected women in Lusaka, Zambia, were randomized to abrupt weaning at 4 months (inter...

Background: Breastfeeding has been recognized to have a great deal of benefits for both the mothers and infants. Moreover, the importance of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life has been greatly acknowledged. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of starting breastfeeding in the first hour after delivery and the exclusive breast milk feeding as well as the a...