Weaning before the age of 6 months in Marrakech: Associated factors and prevalence

Background. - In Morocco breastfeeding has become a declining practice. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of weaning before the age of 6 months and to identify associated factors. Methods. - A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 400 mothers of infants aged 0 to 24 months. Participants were recruited from patients attending 40 randomly selected general practices in Marrakech. A trained interviewer administered a questionnaire to collect data on breastfeeding practice and factors associated with it. Early weaning was defined as a cessation of breastfeeding before the age of 6 months and was studied in mother-child couples whose infants were aged 6 months and older. Three binary logistic regression models were used to model the probability that an infant aged 6 months or more is weaned early. Results. - Breastfeeding was initiated by the majority of respondents (97.5%). Early weaning was observed in 75 infants (28% of registered weaning). Factors associated with early weaning were: mother having an occupational activity (Odds Ratio [OR] = 2.09; 95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.07-4.06]), caesarean delivery (OR = 4.15; 95% CI: [1.74-9.88]) and the fact that the pregnancy was desired (OR = 0.19; 95% CI: [0.05-0.68]). Conclusion. - Weaning before 6 months of age is a common practice in our context. Identifying factors associated with early weaning is critical to promote breastfeeding. (C) 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.