Lactant Health Promotion. Experience in a Rural Health Center

Abstract

Background: The evaluation of the feeding changes in the first months of life is used to estimate the achievement of more healty practices, after a year of developing the infant health surveillance programme. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out in a unit of Pediatrics of a Primary Health Center... The clinical histories of children, bom between l-4-90 and 30-9-90 (group 1, n=55) and those of the children bom between l-4-89 and 30-9-89 (group II, n=41) were rewieved. The evaluation ended the 30-3-91. Neonatal hospital morbidity, socio-familiar data, and the feeding practices during the first six months of life wererw studied. Results: The mothers, who were 20 years or less at delivery, were 12 in the group 1, and 2 in the group II. The proportion of housekeepers was near the 70 % in both groups. Breast-feeding during the first month of life is 85,45 % in group 1 and 53,66 % in goup II (p<0,001). Conclusions: Increase of adolescent mothers and SO, highen number of children with possible psycho-social and health risks. Suitable social conditions for maternal participation in the activities of the Infant Health surveillance Programme. Health education is the most adecuate method to establish a more healthy relation between mother and Child.