Exclusive breastfeeding abandonment in adolescent mothers: a cohort study within health primary services.
María Isabel Nuñez Hernández, Maria Luiza Riesco
PMID 36351091WHAT IT FOUND
By 4 months, 52.2% of adolescent mothers in Chilean primary care had abandoned exclusive breastfeeding.
Mothers who thought their milk was regular or bad had 11.6 times higher risk, and pacifier use was associated with abandonment.
Key findings
01Cumulative incidence of exclusive breastfeeding abandonment was 33.3% at 2 months, 52.2% at 4 months, and 63.8% at 6 months.
02In the final model, perceived milk quality of regular or bad quality had a hazard ratio of 11.6 (95%CI 3.6-37.5), and pacifier use had a hazard ratio of 1.9 (95%CI 1.2-3.3).
03Time of first breastfeeding session more than 15 minutes after birth had a hazard ratio of 1.4 (95%CI 0.5-12.9), which the authors reported as not significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Participants were enrolled by convenience when mothers brought the infant to the 2-month visit, so they may not represent all adolescent mothers. The cohort shrank from 105 mothers at 2 months to 70 at 4 months and 47 at 6 months, and the authors said the reduced number at 6 months limited statistical power. Breastfeeding status for the first, third, and fifth months was recalled retrospectively, which can introduce reporting error. Milk quality perception, pacifier use, and drug use were self-reported, and the authors noted possible socially expected answers. The setting was one commune with higher adolescent pregnancy and worse living conditions than other parts of the metropolitan area, so generalization is limited. This is an observational cohort, so it cannot show that perceived milk quality, pacifier use, or late first breastfeeding caused abandonment.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that pacifier use or perceived milk quality causes exclusive breastfeeding abandonment. This cohort found associations, and the largest hazard ratio came from self-reported maternal perception in a convenience sample of 105 mothers.