Abandoning exclusive breastfeeding in adolescent mothers: a primary health care cohort study

Objective: to analyze the factors associated with the abandonment of exclusive breastfeeding in adolescent mothers during the first six months of the baby's life. Method: this is a cohort study with 105 teenage mothers followed up at two, four and six months of age. An epidemiological approach, supported by a positivist paradigm, was adopted. The exposure variables chosen were those directly related to breastfeeding and to sociodemographic, family, maternal and child conditions. The data used were collected through interviews and analyzed by bivariate and multivariate statistics. The hazard ratio (RR) was calculated with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI). The tests were performed, assuming a type I error of 5%. Data confidentiality was guaranteed. Results: the cumulative incidences of abandoning exclusive breastfeeding were 33.3%, 52.2% and 63.8%, at two, four and six months of life, respectively. The variables that remained in the final multivariate model were maternal perception of the quality of their milk (HR=11.6; 95% CI 3.6-37.5), pacifier use (HR=1.9; 95% CI 1, 2-3.3) and time of first breastfeeding session after birth (HR=1.4; 95% CI 0.5-12.9). Conclusion: the highest rate of abandonment occurs before the fourth month of life of babies. Teenage mothers who judged their milk to be bad and babies who use a pacifier are factors that favor the abandonment of exclusive breastfeeding. Determining the factors associated with the abandonment of breastfeeding can allow for their timely management, especially in the most vulnerable populations.