title: [Importance of health education in the practice of breastfeeding].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find if there is a connection between health education activities (HEA), and breast-feeding (BF) and the introduction of supplementary feeding. To assess the impact of post-delivery groups on BF.
  
  
  METHODS
  Crossover study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary care. Trinidad-Jesús Cautivo Health Centre, Málaga.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of the 379 children born in the district between January 1992 and December 1993, the 240 children (63.3%) monitored under the healthy child programme up to at least 6 months of age were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 240 mothers in the sample, 107 (44.6%) received HE classes. 81.3% of the mothers who had received HE breast-fed during the first month, against 66.9% of those who did not receive HE. This difference was maintained up to the sixth month of BF. The post-delivery groups were the HE activities with most influence on BF practice. Supplementary feeding was begun before the fifth month by 34.6% of those who had not received HE, versus 21.5% of those who had received it.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Attendance at HE classes was significantly linked to BF up to six months and to starting supplementary feeding at a later date. Post-delivery groups were the basic factor in maintaining BF for six months; ante-natal education was an influence from the third month of pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Salud Trinidad Jesús-Cautivo y Hospital Regional Carlos Haya, Málaga.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torres Díaz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López Téllez
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Ramón Garrido
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D013997:Time Factors
vernacular_title: Importancia de la educación para la salud en la práctica de la lactancia natural.