title: Use of pacifiers is associated with decreased breast-feeding duration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the relationship between pacifier use at 1 month of age to the duration of breast-feeding to 6 months of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal study of infants from birth to 6 months of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six hundred five rooming-in infants born at the largest hospital in Guarujá, São Paulo, Brazil, during January and February 1993.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prevalence of breast-feeding (exclusive, predominant, and complementary) at 1, 4, and 6 months of age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relative risk for weaning between 1 and 6 months of age was 3.84 (95% confidence interval 2.65-5.50) for pacifier users at 1 month of age, compared with nonusers. When an adjustment was made for possible confounding variables through Cox regression analysis, the relative risk dropped to 2.87 (95% confidence interval 1.97-419).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pacifier use is highly correlated with early weaning, even after controlling for possible confounders. Until it is determined if pacifier use is causally related to weaning or is a marker for other undetermined causes, pacifier use probably should not be recommended for breast-fed infants.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Social, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Brazil.
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Victora
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Semer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tonioli Filho
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tomasi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Weiderpass
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007224:Infant Care; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D013997:Time Factors; D014886:Weaning