Abstract

AZNAR, Flor Elena et al. Evaluación del conocimiento de las madres sobre Lactancia Materna: Estudio Multicéntrico en las áreas metropolitanas de Caracas y Maracaibo. Arch Venez Puer Ped [online]. 2009, vol.72, n.4, pp.118-122. ISSN 0004-0649.

Objective: To determine the basic knowledge that mothers have about the practice of breast-feeding and to relate this knowledge to the beginning, the duration and forms of implementation of breast-feeding.  Method: A cross-sectional and descriptive study was made, by means of the application of a survey to 502 mothers who attended the outpatient clinic of public and private hospital centers of Caracas and Maracaibo during July to December 2007. Results: 90.64% (n: 455) of the mothers nursed their children; most of these mothers had an average of 2 or less children and came from urban areas. The group of age that prevailed was the one between 26 and 35 years. 55.12% (n: 113) of the children received maternal milk by a period of 6 months or more. Only 5.93% (n: 27) initiated breast-feeding before the first hour post-childbirth. 81.4% (n: 409) of the mothers knew the advantages of breast-feeding, although, most of them only knew the benefits for the baby. Only 55.18% (n: 277) of the mothers had information about some conservation form of maternal milk once extracted. Conclusions: The percentage of mothers who practice breast-feeding is high, and this is related directly to the age of the mothers, origin and parity. Nevertheless, the duration of breast-feeding is not as expected, neither the way to practice it; this is explained by the lack of information of fundamental issues about natural feeding.

Keywords : Breast-feeding; advantages; education to the mother; conservation of maternal milk.