[Breast feeding. Nature of the choice]

The choice of breast feeding was studied in a sample of 1,954 mothers of urban and rural areas investigated in 1978 during the first year of life of their child. Women who chose breast feeding were more often urban, highly educated, mothers of one child, well medically supervised and happy during pregnancy. They were more concerned by the way their child fed and about his general status. The group of women who stated that they could not breast-feed showed a high percentage of health problems. On the contrary, those who refused were in a good state of health.