Investigation of Breast-Feeding of Children Aged 0-3 Years at Doğankent , Adana

Abstract

This study performed at Doğankent Coıınty aitned to investigate the breast-feeding status of children aged 0 to 3 years and the affecting factors. The stııdy groııp consisted of 234 children selected by age stratified-sanıpliııg method among 784 children, under 3 years of age, registered at Primary Health Çenter of Doğankent Coıınty. The study groııp w a s constituted of 226 (96.6%) children with boy to girl ratio o f 118 (52.2%) to 108 (47.8%). İt was found that 128 (65.0%) children were exclusively breast-fed in the fırst 6 months of the life and, the mean period of breast feeding 10.6 ± 0.7 months among breast-fed children, beginning of supplementary feeding was at the age of 5.6 ± 0.3 months. The mothers aged 20 years or yoıınger vvere found to begin the sııpplementary feeding earlier, with shorter breast-f eeding period, while illiterate mothers to begin the spplementary feeding at more advanced age of children. The gender, the birth order, the family type, the monthly income of the family were not statistically affecting the breast-feeding period. The sııpplementary feeding is begun earlier in Turkey, although the widespread use of breast-feeding. İt is ııecessary to emphasize the health edııcation on breast-feeding in eveıyday practice.