Relationship between maternal nutrition and duration of breastfeeding in abirth cohort in Southern Brazil

Objective The effects of maternal nutritional status on the duration of bre astfeeding are inconsistent in the literature. A population-based cohort st udy was set to investigate this relationship. Methods Nine hundred and seventy seven mothers giving birth in 1993 (20% of that year's births) were studied. Studied maternal characteristics include d nutritional status, social, economic, and demographic variables. The effe cts of these variables on the prevalence of breastfeeding at six months wer e analyzed through logistic regression. Cor regression was applied to analy ze the effects on the duration of breastfeeding. Results Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a higher prevalenc e of breastfeeding among women with a pre-pregnancy weight of 49 kg or more (odds ratio = 1.31; CI95% 1.04 - 1.64). The association,with maternal heig ht was not Significant (p=0-06) Cox regression also showed a non-significan t protective effect of having a higher pre-pregnancy weight (hazard ratio = 0.91; CI95%, 0.82 - 1.01). The duration of breastfeeding duration runs not associated with maternal height. Weight gain during pregnancy was not asso ciated with breastfeeding in either analyses. Other variables associated wi th the duration of breastfeeding in both analyses were maternal age, parity , smoking, and gestational age. Family income was associated with the preva lence of breastfeeding at six months, and birthweight was associated with t he duration of breastfeeding. Conclusions Pre-pregnancy nutritional status is a stronger predictor of bre astfeeding than weight gain during pregnancy.