Factors related to early weaning in babies born at term in a public maternity.
Sandra Raquel de Melo Gomes, Mirelly Sabrina Santos Silva, Andréa Rodrigues Motta and 2 others
PMID 39109757WHAT IT FOUND
Higher maternal education predicted exclusive breastfeeding to 6 months.
Lower family income predicted introducing solid foods early. Neither breastfeeding complaints nor delivery type showed a significant association with weaning timing in this small public hospital sample.
Key findings
01Mothers with higher education were 4.82 times more likely to breastfeed exclusively until the 6th month compared to other education levels.
02Families with lower incomes were 2.54 times more likely to introduce complementary foods before the 6th month than those with higher incomes.
03Breastfeeding complaints reported during the postpartum period were not statistically associated with early weaning or exclusive breastfeeding status at 6 months.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study had a small sample size of 98 participants, which limits the generalizability of the findings. Data collection relied on maternal recall for the 6-month follow-up, which introduces the risk of memory bias. The sample was drawn from a single public hospital that is a reference for high-risk pregnancies, so the results may not apply to other populations or private healthcare settings. The study was non-randomized and observational, so it can identify associations but cannot prove that education or income directly cause changes in breastfeeding behavior.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was approved by the institution's Research Ethics Committee.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that nipple pain or breastfeeding complaints cause early weaning. In this sample, these physical complaints were not statistically associated with stopping breastfeeding, suggesting that socioeconomic factors like education and income were more influential drivers of feeding practices.