OBJECTIVES: to determine breast feeding prevalence and weaning associated factors in under one year old children in Feira de Santana in 2001. METHODS: cross sectional study with the use of questionnaires addressing 2319 mothers in 44 vaccination facilities; (71%) selected by simple stratification. Prevalence ratio was calculated with the following parameters: p < 0.05 considered significant with interval at 95%. RESULTS: breast feeding prevalence was 692% for under one year old children. Exclusive breast feeding was higher for children not using pacifiers (49.4%) who had been breast-fed in the first days of life (40.4%). Statistically significant variables with higher breast feeding chances were: babies who were breast-fed in the first day of life (p <0.001), mothers who were housewives (p <0.001), lower family income (p <0.001), multiparous mothers (p =0.03) and children not using pacifiers (p =0.000). CONCLUSIONS: assistance activities to prevent weaning should especially focus on mothers holding jobs away from home, those with higher family incomes and who are primaparous. As for the children the focus should be on the ones not breast-fed in the first day of life and/or using pacifiers.
Breast feeding; Epidemiologic factors; Weaning
