title: national survey on the pattern of breastfeeding in Iranian infants: The IrMIDHS study.
abstract: Background:Breastfeeding has been recognized to have a great deal of benefits for both the mothers and infants. Moreover, the importance of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life has been greatly acknowledged. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of starting breastfeeding in the first hour after delivery and the exclusive breast milk feeding as well as the age at which complimentary foods are provided to the child and duration of breastfeeding in Iran.Methods:This nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted in the frame of a national survey, Iran Multiple Indicator Demographic and Health Survey (IrMIDHS), in 31 provinces of Iran. Participants were selected by multistage cluster sampling. The target sample was 3,096 clusters consisting of 2,187 urban and 909 rural families. Data were collected using a questionnaire through face-to-face interviews.Results:The rate of exclusive breastfeeding was 53.13% with higher prevalence in rural (67.76%) than in urban areas (47.79%) (P = 0.04), and among girls (56.35%) compared to boys (50.60%). The prevalence of breastfeeding as the main diet of Iranian infants under six months old was 70.72% and the prevalence of initiation of breastfeeding (up to the first hour after delivery) was 68.70%. The probability of breastfeeding continuance among twelve to fifteen months children was 84.22%; the corresponding figure was 51% among twenty to twenty three months old babies (p=0.03).Conclusion:Exclusive breastfeeding should be encouraged; and strategies that are more effective should be designed to protect, train and support young mothers to breastfeed their infants. The importance of early beginning of breastfeeding and its continuation should be underscored.
authors.affiliation: MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Child Growth and Development Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. kelishadi@med.mui.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Roya
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kelishadi
authors.affiliation: PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. arashidian@tums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Arash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rashidian
authors.affiliation: MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Child Growth and Development Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. mjari14@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jari
authors.affiliation: PhD, Department of Public Health Affairs, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran. khosravi@hlth.gov.ir.
authors.forename: Ardeshir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khosravi
authors.affiliation: PhD, National Institute of Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. rkhabiri@razi.tums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Roghayeh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Khabiri
authors.affiliation: PhD, National Institute of Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. elahi@razi.tums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Elham
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Elahi
authors.affiliation: MSc, Department of Nutrition, Child Growth and Development Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. bahreynian@hlth.mui.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bahreynian
keywords: Breastfeeding; Infant; Iran; Prevalence