Abstract

VIEIRA, Graciete Oliveira; SILVA, Luciana Rodrigues; MENDES, Carlos Maurício Cardeal  and  VIEIRA, Tatiana de Oliveira. Lactational mastitis and Baby-Friendly Hospital Iniciative, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil. Cad. Saúde Pública [online]. 2006, vol.22, n.6, pp. 1193-1200. ISSN 0102-311X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X2006000600008.

This study aimed to evaluate whether follow-up of breastfeeding mothers at maternity hospitals classified as "Baby-Friendly Hospitals" in Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil, was a protective factor against mastitis. This was a cross-sectional study in which 2,543 mothers of infants (< 1 year of age) were selected by simple stratification and interviewed by 104 college students at immunization services. Measures of association (odds ratio, 95%CI) and statistical significance were calculated by the chi-square test and respective p values. Multivariate analysis was performed using the logistic regression model. Women who delivered in "Baby-Friendly Hospitals" had a lower prevalence of lactational mastitis (3.6% vs. 5.3%; OR = 0.68; 95%CI: 0.46-1.01). Additionally, delivery in Baby-Friendly Hospitals (OR = 0.71; 95%CI: 0.48-1.06), absence of nipple fissure (OR = 0.27; 95%CI: 0.19-0.40), and no maternal outdoor work (OR = 0.64; 95%CI: 0.44-0.94) were also associated with a decreased prevalence of lactational mastitis. Prevalence of lactational mastitis was observed to be lower in women delivering in "Baby-Friendly Hospitals" with breastfeeding counseling programs.

Keywords : Breast Feeding; Mastitis; Program Evaluation; Hospital Practice.