Skip Navigation

Journal of Tropical Pediatrics 1996 42(1):50-53; doi:10.1093/tropej/42.1.50
© 1996 by Oxford University Press
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ferreira, M. U.
Right arrow Articles by Szarfarc, S. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ferreira, M. U.
Right arrow Articles by Szarfarc, S. C.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

brief-report

Rapid Epidemiologic Assessment of Breastfeeding Practices: Probit Analysis of Current Status Data

M. U. Ferreira, MD*,**,, M. A. Cardoso, MSc**,***, A. L. S. Santos, MD{dagger}, C. S. Ferreira, MD, PhD* and S. C. Szarfarc, PhD**,{dagger}{dagger}

*Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciêncids Biomédicas da Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
**N{small accented upsilon}cleo de Pesquisas Epidemiológicas em Nutriçcão e Sa{small accented upsilon}de da Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
***Divisão de Nutrição, Instituto de Sa{small accented upsilon}de, Secretaria de Estado da Saúde de São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
{dagger}Fundação de Assistência à Infância de Santo André Santo André, Brazil
{dagger}{dagger}Departamento de Nutrição, Faculdade de Sa{small accented upsilon}de P{small accented upsilon}blica da Universidade de São Paulo Brazil

Departamento de Parasitologia, ICB II. Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 1374, Cidade Universitària, 05508–900, Sào Paulo (SP), Brazil

We describe the use of probit analysis to estimate breastfeeding indicators from current status epidemiological data. A health centre-based sample of 2411 children aged 0–1 year was investigated in Santo André, a large town in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Mothers were interviewed during routine pediatric consultations and asked about their current infant feeding practices. Probit regressions were calculated by a public-domain microcomputer programme written by one of us. The median duration of total (i.e. exclusive plus partial) breastfeeding in this children's sample, estimated as 108.8 days (95 per cent confidence interval: 95.5–123.2 days), is close to that recently reported in the city of São Paulo and nearby towns. However, the median duration of exclusive breastfeeding (28.9 days, 95 per cent CI: 17.9–38.3 days) is rather short when compared to recent estimates from this same region. Despite the nationwide efforts for promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, only 14 per cent (95 per cent CI: 12.3–17 per cent) of the infants were still being exclusively breastfed by 120 days of age. Therefore, a key feature of breastfeeding practices in this population sample, namely, the early introduction of supplementary foods, was identified by using simplified methods of data collection and analysis. This communication suggests that probit analysis of current status data may be further explored as a method for rapid epidemiologic assessment of breastfeeding practices.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.