title: Which women breastfeed for 2 years or more?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify factors associated with continuation of breastfeeding for 2 years or more.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cohort study that followed 151 children recruited at the Hospital de Clínicas in Porto Alegre, Brazil, from birth until ages ranging from 3 to 5 years. Mothers were interviewed in person in the maternity unit, at 7 and 30 days after delivery, and when their children were from 3 to 5 years old. Interviews were also conducted at 60, 120 and 180 days, by telephone when possible, or during a home visit otherwise. Associations between the outcome (breastfeeding for 2 years or more) and explanatory variables were investigated using Poisson regression within a hierarchical model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The following variables had positive associations with the outcome: mother staying at home with her child for the first 6 months [relative risk (RR) = 2.13; 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 1.12-4.05]; not using a pacifier (RR = 2.45; 95%CI 1.58-3.81); and later introduction of water and/or teas and of other milks. Each extra day that these liquids were not introduced was associated with 0.5% and 0.1% greater probability of the child being breastfed beyond 2 years, respectively. Cohabitation with the child's father had a negative association with the outcome (RR = 0.61; 95%CI 0.37-0.99).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mothers staying at home with their children for the first 6 months of their lives, not cohabiting with a partner, not giving their children pacifiers and delaying introduction of water and/or teas and of other milks are characteristics and behaviors associated with continuation of breastfeeding for 2 years or more.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. ejusto@pop.com.br
authors.forename: Elisa Justo
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Elsa Regina Justo
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Giugliani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D041361:Pacifiers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012746:Sexual Abstinence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013662:Tea; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D013662:Tea