MODERN APPROACHES TO ASSESSMENT OF THE BREAST-FEEDING BY THE EXAMPLE OF THE CHECHEN REPUBLIC AND THE REPUBLIC OF INGUSHETIA

Abstract

In order of assess the results of introduction of the programs aimed at maintenance and support of the breast-feeding it is necessary to use uniform indicators, which guarantee consistency, reliability and comparability of the data. Aim: to perform complex medical and social assessment of the prevalence and duration of the breast-feeding by the example of the Chechen Republic (CR) and the Republic of Ingushetia (RI). Patients and methods: mothers of children aged 12–36 months old were interviewed (n =2200). Statistical analysis was performed with the means of the software «SPSS.17». Results: the mean duration of the breast-feeding in the CR was 9,5±0,22 months among urban population and 10,8 ± 0,29 months among rural population (p <0,01); in the RI these figures were — 8,5±0,26 months and 8,7±0,20 months, respectively (p >0,05). Up till the age of 6 months 17,6% of urban infants and 36,8% of rural infants of the CR (p <0,001) and 19,1% of urban and 19,7% of rural infants in the RI (p >0,05) received exclusive breast-feeding. It was established, that duration of the breast-feeding was influenced by the mothers' attitude to the issue or the dominant mothers’ ideology, as well as by the duration of the only breast-feeding itself. Besides, prolongation of the breast-feeding period is contributed by introduction of the modern medico-organizational measures aimed at support and maintenance of the breast-feeding. Conclusions: complex medical and social research allowed to assess prevalence and duration of the breast-feeding in the CR and the RI, in accordance to modern recommendations of the WHO experts. The main social and medico-organizational factors and predictors of the breast-feeding long duration and the exclusive breast-feeding were revealed.

Keywords

• breast-feeding
• exclusive breast-feeding
• prevalence and duration of the breast-feeding
• medical and social factors