부산대학교 도서관

Objective and Methods: We surveyed 258 mothers and their 453 infants living in urban and rural areas of Evros county in order to investigate the frequency, the trends and factors influencing breast feeding practices.Results: The mothers had been breast-fed for a mean period of 12.3 months while they breast-fed their infants for 3.3 months. Mothers living in rural areas breast-fed their infants longer than those living in urban settings (p< 0,01). There was statistically significant correlation between the breast-feeding duration of the mothers and the duration they breast-fed their infants (p<0,001). Maternal age and education as well as the infant's sex and birth order were not associated with breast-feeding duration.Conclusion: Nowadays children in Evros county are breast-fed less than their mothers were, although the most significant predictor of the breast-feeding duration of infants is the length of time their mothers were breast fed.