Early termination of breast-feeding in periurban Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: mothers' community perceptions and personal practices Interrupción precoz de la lactancia materna en la zona periurbana de Santo Domingo, República Dominicana: las prácticas personales de la madre y su percepción de las prácticas de la comunidad
Objectives. The objectives of this study were to determine: 1) whether mothers' perceptions of typical community practice for breast-feeding duration influence their personal practices and 2) whether the mothers' reports of community reasons for terminating breast-feeding identify barriers...
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English Spanish Portuguese |
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Pan American Health Organization
2001
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| Online Access: | https://doaj.org/article/324dd870f48946619e3e4318a808dd22 |
| Summary: | Objectives. The objectives of this study were to determine: 1) whether mothers' perceptions of typical community practice for breast-feeding duration influence their personal practices and 2) whether the mothers' reports of community reasons for terminating breast-feeding identify barriers not elicited through self-report. Methods. The study was conducted in 1997 in a sample of poor neighborhoods in a periurban district of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. A representative sample of 220 mothers from these neighborhoods was interviewed with a structured questionnaire. Results. While the duration of breast-feeding was similar for self-report and for mothers' perceptions of typical community practice, there was no statistically significant correlation between these two variables. "Mother-driven" reasons for early termination of breast-feeding, such as "fear of loss of figure or of breast shape" and "not wanting to breast-feed," were frequently perceived as community reasons but rarely given as personal reasons. Personal reasons were predominately "child-driven," including "the child not wanting the breast," or reasons beyond the mother's control such as having "insufficient" milk. Conclusions. Maternal report of community reasons for early termination may be a useful way to identify factors that would not otherwise be revealed on self-report. These additional reasons may guide health promotion efforts aimed at increasing breast-feeding duration. Objetivos. Los objetivos de este estudio consistieron en determinar: 1) si las percepciones de las madres acerca de las prácticas de lactancia materna típicas de su comunidad influyen sobre sus prácticas personales, y 2) si las respuestas de las madres sobre los motivos que llevan a interrumpir la lactancia materna en su comunidad identifican problemas no reflejados en las respuestas sobre sus propias prácticas. Métodos. El estudio se realizó en 1997 en una muestra de barrios pobres de un distrito periurbano de Santo Domingo, la capital de la República ... |
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