Feeding habits of breastfed and non-breastfed children up to 1 year old

OBJECTIVE: To describe the eating habits of breastfed and non-breastfed children through the analysis of food intake by children younger than one year of age in Feira de Santana in 2001. METHODS: Cross-sectional study. The mothers of children younger than one year answered a questionnaire during the national vaccination day in 44 (71%) vaccination units selected by simple stratification. 2,319 children were evaluated, representing 24.3% of the estimated population. Prevalence ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated. Statistical significance was determined using the chi-square test. RESULTS: Non-breastfed children aged four months or younger were 8.2 and 6.7 times more likely to receive the family food (95% CI: 3.23-20.66) or vegetable soup (95% CI: 3.84-11.78), respectively. In the same age group, the prevalence of non-breastfed children receiving water, juice, and fruit was significantly higher in relation to breastfed children (70.7% vs 19.7%, 63.3% vs 26.7%, 33.3% vs 4.9% and 14.4% vs 1.4%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Breastfed children had healthier habits than non-breastfed children in terms of the introduction of complementary foods.