Duration of exclusive breastfeeding and nutritional status in children under two years of age attending a public hospital in Paraguay
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21782490Keywords:
exclusive breastfeeding, nutritional status, child malnutrition, child, Paraguay, pediatricsAbstract
Introduction: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) during the first six months of life is the internationally recommended nutritional strategy because of its impact on infant morbidity and mortality and on nutritional status. In Paraguay, effective EBF duration remains below the recommendation, with scarce local evidence documenting its relationship with nutritional status in clinical practice. Objective: To describe EBF duration and nutritional status of children under two years of age who attended the Pediatrics service of a Paraguayan public hospital. Materials and methods: Observational, analytical, cross-sectional quantitative study of children under two years of age seen at the Pediatrics service of the Regional Hospital of Caacupé between March and June 2023. Data were collected using the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System (SISVAN) form for children under five. Sex, EBF duration and nutritional status according to the weight-for-age indicator based on World Health Organization growth curves were recorded. Results: Data from 191 children were analyzed; 50.8% (n = 97) were male. Mean EBF duration was 90 days. Regarding nutritional status, 84.8% had adequate weight, 13.1% were at risk of malnutrition, 1.05% had moderate malnutrition and 1.05% had severe malnutrition. Conclusions: Mean EBF duration was markedly below the recommended six months, although most evaluated children had adequate nutritional status. The persistence of a non-negligible proportion of children at risk of malnutrition or with overt malnutrition reinforces the need to strengthen promotion and support of EBF in the first semester of life.
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