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  • Title: Infant mortality and infant feeding in Puerto Rico.
    Author: Wegman ME, Marchante RF, Kramer M.
    Journal: PR J Public Health Trop Med; 1942 Mar; 17():228-45. PubMed ID: 12338434.
    Abstract:
    Data on infant mortality and infant feeding in Puerto Rico were examined. The material studied was the infant and preschool records found in the active and pending files of the public health units. The information tabulated was that of the status of the child at the time of 1st admission to Health Department service, before any specific benefit could have been obtained from that service. A total of 1189 records was tabulated from 3 municipalities: 171 from Ciales; 360 from Guayama; and 658 from Rio Piedras. Results of the 2 sexes were combined. Breastfed means that the sole source of milk was breast. The proportion breastfed declined with advancing age of child. There was a striking difference between Ciales, an area of relatively low infant mortality, and the other 2 municipalities. The proportion breastfed in Ciales was definitely higher than in the other 2 communities in the 2-3 months group. The difference was even greater in the 4-5 months group. The total records from Ciales were only 171, but the differences were statistically significant. Rio Piedras was consistently the lowest in every age group. In the youngest age group of the children there was a decreasing proportion breastfed with the advancing age of the mother. This finding was statistically significant. In the group of children 6 months and older, it appeared that the older mothers had the highest proportion of breastfed children. In this group, the difference according to mother's age only approached significance. In regard to rural-urban differences, there was clearly little difference in the early months of life, but in the older age groups the proportion breastfed was higher for inhabitants of rural areas. These differences were significant and suggest that rural mothers tend to nurse their infants longer. There was no evidence that the rates for older infants in the rural areas were weighted with older mothers tending to have th e highest proportion of infants breastfed at age of 6 months and older. It is essential that the proper technique of breastfeeding be taught to all mothers, particularly to primiparas, as errors in technique may result in unnecessary artificial feeding. Physicians and nurses should become more familiar with the requisites for successful breastfeeding.
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