Breastfeeding Duration and Its Effective Factors in Kerman Province, Iran

INTRODUCTION

Complete cessation of breastfeeding (CCB) at the right time is as important as starting breastfeeding, as well as identifying the factors that affect the duration of breastfeeding, so that breastfeeding promotion programs focus on these causes, to increase mothers' ability and desire to breastfeed. This study aimed to determine the time of CCB and its related factors.

METHODS

This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020. This study was performed at all health centers and health homes affiliated to Kerman University of Medical Sciences, in Kerman province, Iran. A total of 802 urban and rural mothers with children aged from 30 to 36 months completed the questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed by Cronbach's alpha of 85%. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16.

RESULTS

The mean time of breastfeeding was 19.23 ± 7.09 months and the median was 22-month-year. About 41% of children were breastfed until 24-month. There was a significant relationship between the time of CCB with contraception, number of households, place of residence, and weight at 6-month at the level of 0.05.

CONCLUSION

Duration of breastfeeding is influenced by some demographic and cultural factors. The timing of the CCB is near to the suggestions of the World Health Organization (WHO) and religious teachings.

Duration of Breastfeeding and Maternal-Related Factors in Iran, Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Although the benefits of breastfeeding are commonly approved, there remains a significant discrepancy between maternal practices and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines in some countries.

OBJECTIVES

We had two aims in this study; average duration of breastfeeding, and its maternal determinants.

DATA SOURCES

A web-based citation index was used for citing documents.

STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND PARTICIPANTS

We included observational studies evaluating breastfeeding duration among children who were at least two years old and not older than five were included in Iran.

SYNTHESIS METHODS

The pooled mean and mean differences were considered. Heterogeneity was evaluated with the I² statistic.

RESULTS

The pooled mean of breastfeeding duration was calculated at 17.31 months. Children with younger mothers and lower birth orders had shorter durations of breastfeeding. Women with a high school and higher education level had early cessation of breastfeeding in comparison with less educated women.

LIMITATIONS

The main limitation of the current study was lack of librarian assistance.

CONCLUSIONS

The pooled mean of breastfeeding duration in Iranian children aged 2-5 was less than WHO recommendations. Accurate identification of the effect a mother's level of education has on duration of lactation requires standardized categorization.

IMPLICATIONS OF KEY FINDINGS

Raising awareness among women can be an effective strategy in increasing the duration of lactation.

Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis: Cytologic and Histologic Study of 65 Egyptian Patients

BACKGROUND

The etiology of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is unknown, and it is commonly misdiagnosed clinically and/or radiologically as breast cancer. The role of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in its diagnosis is still a matter of debate. The aim of the current study is to assess the value of FNAC in the diagnosis of IGM, and to search for the presence of bacteria in IGM with cystic vacuoles, which was described recently by a few authors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Retrospective study of cytologic smears and histologic tissue sections of 65 Egyptian IGM cases was done along with microbiologic testing. A comparison of the frequency of IGM in Egypt to that of other populations was also made.

RESULTS

IGM has typical FNA features which can easily exclude malignancy. Histologically, cystic vacuoles were encountered in 35 out of 65 cases (53.9%), with only 6 (17.14%) of these cases showing Gram-positive bacilli (GPB). The frequency of IGM in Egypt is comparable to those in other Middle Eastern countries but much higher than in Western countries.

CONCLUSION

IGM is a common breast disease in Egypt. FNAC in IGM has a high diagnostic accuracy. This study supports the few recent studies that have detected GPB in IGM with cystic vacuoles. Thus, bacteriologic examination in such cases may affect the treatment strategy.