OBJECTIVES: to describe prevalence, modalities and duration of the breast feeding, and possible factors of protection of exclusive breast feeding (EBF). METHODS: probabilistic sample of 602 children details of 18 months, extracted of a data base of 2075 children details five years studied in its domiciles of 20 cities of the State of Pernambuco; study case-control of 24 children that had used exclusively brest milk up to four months of age, compared with 72 controls weaned before two months; analyze of logistic regression for factors of protection of the EBF. RESULTS: 24 children (10.75%) had used the EBF up to four months, prevalence that declined for 3.87% to the six months. In the bivaried analyses, they had appeared as protection factors: schooling maternal, income, precocious beginning and number of prenatal consultations, surgical childbirth, medical attendance in the childbirth and use of private services of health. In the final model they had remained significant: income, beginning prenatal and distance of health services. CONCLUSIONS: the duration of EBF was well lesser that the results of other studies. The mothers who had more suckled its children for drawn out periods distinguish for the income highest, beginning of prenatal and distance of health services.
Breast feeding; Prevalence
