CONSUMO DE LEITES EM MENORES DE UM ANO DE IDADE E VARIÁVEIS ASSOCIADAS AO CONSUMO DE LEITE NÃO MATERNO

Paula Chuproski Saldan, Sonia Isoyama Venancio, Silvia Regina Dias Medici Saldiva, Daniele Gonçalves Vieira, Débora Falleiros de Mello

To verify the type of milk consumed by children under one year of age and identify variables associated with non-maternal milk consumption (formula or cow milk). Cross-sectional study developed during the 2012 National Vaccination Campaign against Poliomyelitis. The companions of 935 children under one year of age answered a structured questionnaire on the child's diet in the last 24 hours. The estimates are presented by points, with 95%CI. F-statistics were used to check for differences in the proportion of the types of milk consumption according to the children's age range (<6 months and 6-11 months) and the association between non-maternal milk consumption and the study variables. The consumption of maternal milk and child formula was higher for children under six months of age - corresponding to 82.8% (95%CI 78.5-86.3) and 70.4% (95%CI 61.4-78.0), respectively -, whereas the consumption of cow milk was higher among children between 6 and 11 months of age - 74.2% (95%CI 66.5-80.6) -, with differences in the consumption proportions (p<0.0001). The variables associated with higher cow milk consumption were lower maternal education (p<0.0001), the fact that the mother does not have a paid occupation (p=0.0015), child doctor's appointment in the public health network (p<0.0001) and participation in the Child's Milk Program (p<0.0001). The infants received cow's milk early (before the first year of life), especially children from families with lower socioeconomic levels and children who took part in a specific social program for milk distribuition.