Evaluación de las prácticas tradicionales de lactancia materna, alimentación complementaria y aumento de la leche materna en madres con lactantes de 0 a 24 meses: Un estudio transversal

Introduction: To evaluate the traditional practices of breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and increasing breast milk in mothers with 0-24 month-old infants. Material and methods: The study sample includes 215 mothers with 0-24 month-old infants. The mothers’ socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge and behaviors regarding breast milk, complementary feeding, and traditional practices for increasing breast milk were questioned. Results: 60.0% of the infants were exclusively breastfed in the first six months. There was a significant difference between the mothers’ educational levels and the frequency of breastfeeding (p<0.001). A significant difference was observed between the educational level of the mothers and the first complementary food given to the infants (p=0.046). The rate of mothers who breastfed less frequently after introducing to complementary feeding was significantly lower in the group with a low level of education compared to the group with a high level of education (p=0.040). The rate of receiving training from a healthcare professional specialized in breastfeeding before and after birth was significantly higher in the group with a high level of education (41.1% and 52.8%, respectively) than the group with a low level of education (17.3% and 15.4%) (p=0.002 and p<0.001, respectively). The rate of those who knew that breast milk alone was sufficient for feeding the infant in the first six months was significantly higher in the group with a high level of education (96.3%) than the group with a low level of education (86.5%) (p=0.017). Percentage of mothers with a high educational level who consume herbal tea (17.8%) is higher than those with low educational level (4.0%). There is a statistically significant difference between the educational status of mothers and traditional practices to increase breast milk (p<0.001). Conclusions: Mothers had imperfect knowledge regarding breastfeeding and complementary feeding. They should be educated by healthcare professionals to eliminate deficiencies and correct their current practices.Introducción: Evaluar las prácticas tradicionales de lactancia materna, alimentación complementaria y aumento de la leche materna en madres con bebés de 0-24 meses. Material y métodos: La muestra del estudio incluye 215 madres con bebés de 0-24 meses. Se utilizó un cuestionario sobre las características sociodemográficas, los conocimientos y comportamientos de las madres con respecto a la leche materna, la alimentación complementaria y las prácticas tradicionales para aumentar la leche materna. Resultados: el 60,0% de los lactantes fueron amamantados exclusivamente en los primeros seis meses. Hubo una diferencia significativa entre los niveles educativos de las madres y la frecuencia de la lactancia materna (p<0,001). Se observó una diferencia significativa entre el nivel educativo de las madres y el primer alimento complementario dado a los lactantes (p=0,046). La tasa de madres que amamantaron con menor frecuencia después de la introducción a la alimentación complementaria fue significativamente menor en el grupo con bajo nivel educativo en comparación con el grupo con alto nivel educativo (p=0,040). La tasa de formación de un profesional sanitario especializado en lactancia materna antes y después del parto fue significativamente mayor en el grupo con alto nivel educativo (41,1% y 52,8%, respectivamente) que en el grupo con bajo nivel educativo (17,3% y 15,4%) (p=0,002 y p<0,001, respectivamente). La tasa de quienes sabían que la leche materna sola era suficiente para alimentar al lactante en los primeros seis meses fue significativamente mayor en el grupo con un alto nivel de educación (96,3%) que en el grupo con un bajo nivel de educación (86,5%) (p=0,017). El porcentaje de madres con alto nivel educativo que consumen té de hierbas (17,8%) es superior al de madres con bajo nivel educativo (4,0%). Existe una diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre el nivel educativo de las madres y las prácticas tradicionales para aumentar la leche materna (p<0,001). Conclusiones: las madres tenían conocimientos imperfectos sobre la lactancia materna y la alimentación complementaria. Deben ser educados por profesionales de la salud para eliminar las deficiencias y corregir sus prácticas actuales

Evaluation of the traditional practices of breastfeeding, complementary feeding and increasing breast milk in mothers with 0-24 month-old infants: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: To evaluate the traditional practices of breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and increasing breast milk in mothers with 0-24 month-old infants. Methodology: The study sample includes 215 mothers with 0-24 month-old infants. The mothers’ socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge and behaviors regarding breast milk, complementary feeding, and traditional practices for increasing breast milk were questioned. Results: 60.0% of the infants were exclusively breastfed in the first six months. There was a significant difference between the mothers’ educational levels and the frequency of breastfeeding (p<0.001). A significant difference was observed between the educational level of the mothers and the first complementary food given to the infants (p=0.046). The rate of mothers who breastfed less frequently after introducing to complementary feeding was significantly lower in the group with a low level of education compared to the group with a high level of education (p=0.040). The rate of receiving training from a healthcare professional specialized in breastfeeding before and after birth was significantly higher in the group with a high level of education (41.1% and 52.8%, respectively) than the group with a low level of education (17.3% and 15.4%) (p=0.002 and p<0.001, respectively). The rate of those who knew that breast milk alone was sufficient for feeding the infant in the first six months was significantly higher in the group with a high level of education (96.3%) than the group with a low level of education (86.5%) (p=0.017). Percentage of mothers with a high educational level who consume herbal tea (17.8%) is higher than those with low educational level (4.0%). There is a statistically significant difference between the educational status of mothers and traditional practices to increase breast milk (p<0.001). Conclusions: Mothers had imperfect knowledge regarding breastfeeding and complementary feeding. They should be educated by healthcare professionals to eliminate deficiencies and correct their current practices

Maternal and Cord Blood Vitamin B12, Folate and Homocysteine Levels

Aim: Nowadays, insufficiency and deficiency of vitamin B12 and folate are seen as an important health problem. The purpose of the present study was to determine the frequency of vitamin B12 and folate deficiencies in pregnant women and their babies at birth. Materials and Methods: The study group consisted of 117 pregnant women and their single, term babies in Izmir Ege Maternity Hospital. Analysis of vitamin B12, folate and homocysteine levels were performed from venous blood samples which were obtained from the mother and cord blood at birth. Additionally, a questionnaire using a face-to-face interview method was performed with the pregnant women included in this study. The mean duration of pregnancy was 391 +/- 0.89 weeks and the mean age of the mothers was 28.2 +/- 6.2 years. Results: Vitamin B12 deficiency (130 pg/mL) was present in 88.9% of mothers and 56% of babies. Folate deficiency (4 ng/mL) was found in 6.8% of mothers, but not found in any babies. The homocysteine levels were high (>8 mu mol/L) in 58.1% of mothers and 63.2% of babies. There was a significant correlation between maternal and cord blood vitamin B12, folate and homocysteine levels (p0.01). However, there was no correlation between maternal vitamin B12 and homocysteine levels (p=0.016, p=0.354). Conclusion: Low maternal vitamin B12 levels are strongly associated with tow cord blood vitamin B12 levels. This data reveals that vitamin B12 deficiency which can occur from the neonatal period is a preventable public health problem. Pregnant women and physicians should be made aware of the importance of vitamin B12 intake during pregnancy