Factors affecting the duration of breastfeeding in a rural population of Saudi Arabia

A study was conducted to demonstrate factors influencing duration of breastfeeding in Al-Jamoom Western region of Saudi Arabia. Information was obtained on 476 children under the age of three years and their mothers in nine of the villages in this area. A predesigned questionnaire was administered to the mothers to obtain information on age, education, fertility parameters and antenatal care during pregnancy with the index children. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the effect of different biological and environmental factors on the duration of breastfeeding. The data showed that over 57% of the mothers breastfed their children for more than a year, and the mean duration of breastfeeding was 14.61 +/- 3.53 months. A considerable proportion of the mothers (42.3%) stopped breastfeeding during the first year. The most common reason for terminating breastfeeding during the first year was insufficient milk (30.9%), and recurrence of pregnancy (27.3%). A minority of the mothers (6.5%) were given advice about breastfeeding by health care professionals (physicians and nurses). Other factors such as the age of the mother, age of the infant when a supplement diet was first introduced, birth order of the child and attendance in an antenatal care clinic had a significant effect on the duration of breastfeeding. It is therefore recommended that Maternal and Child Health services must be strongly reinforced in the Primary Health Care Centers of the Ministry of Health and other health care providers.