• Julio Cesar Mateus Solarte and Gustavo Alonso Cabrera Arana.
• Universidad del Valle, Facultad de Salud, Escuela de Salud Pública, Cali, Colombia.
• Colomb Medica. 2019 Mar 30; 50 (1): 222922-29.

IntroductionBreastfeeding promotion is one of the most effective strategies to prevent child malnutrition; it reduces costs to families, health services and society. In Colombia, exclusive breastfeeding is practiced only by 10% of women.ObjectiveTo identify factors associated with the duration of exclusive breastfeeding.MethodsA cohort of 438 primiparous women was followed during 6 months by means of 8 home interviews, in order to determine the duration of exclusive breastfeeding. Individual, family and health service factors were studied; and survival analysis was carried out.ResultsAt 8 days, only a few more than half of the participants maintained exclusive breastfeeding; at month 6 of follow-up, this proportion was reduced to 1.4%. The duration of exclusive breastfeeding was determined by: initiation of breastfeeding in the first 4 hours after delivery (HR= 4.07, 95% CI: 0.96-16.67), self-perceived sureness for breastfeeding (HR= 1.28, 95% CI: 1.04 -1.58), positive opinion of the baby's father regarding breastfeeding (HR= 1.26, 95% CI: 1.01-1.57), and newborn weight (HR= 1.23, 95% CI: 1.00-1.53).ConclusionThere are factors before delivery and in the immediate puerperium that determine, partially, the duration of exclusive breastfeeding.

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