Assessment of early introduction of complementary food for children aged to 0 to 24 months who visit a health care unit

Background: To verify the frequency, main foods and reasons for the early introduction of complementary food, besides using bottle feeding and pacifiers for children aged 0 to 24 months. Methods: Cross-sectional study with children aged 0 to 24 months, who visit a Basic Health Care Unit. During the period from June to August 2006 a questionnaire was applied to the mothers or caregivers concerning the complementary feeding of the infants. The introduction of solid and/or liquid foods besides or in place of breast milk before the age of six months was considered early. Results: Seventy-eight percent of the 109 children evaluated were introduced early to complementary foods, mainly to tea. The main reason reported by the mothers was “infant colic”. The mean duration of breastfeeding was 73 ± 30 days. The children who used a pacifier were breastfeed for less time (218 ± 21 days) compared to the children who did not use a pacifier (305 ± 25 days; p= 0.026). The children who received complementary food early gained more weight than those who received the complementary foods from the age of six months onwards (22 ± 8 vs. 17 ± 4 g/day; p = 0.007). Conclusion: We found a high frequency of early introduction of complementary foods. There was a significant tendency between the use of the bottle and the reduction of the duration of breastfeeding. The use of a pacifier led to a shorter time of breastfeeding.