Abstract

ROCHA, Ana M; OLIVEIRA, Raquel V  and  LEAL, Isabel. The influence of breastfeeding on children’s health, well-being and development: A theoretical and empirical review. Rev. Fac. Nac. Salud Pública [online]. 2014, vol.32, n.2, pp.103-114. ISSN 0120-386X.

The objective was to examine the impact of breastfeeding on children's health, well-being and development. This literature review approached several dimensions of the child's health and development, in order to assess which ones actually benefit from the maternal milk, and which dimensions do not support a positive association with breastfeeding. The general assumption of the World Health Organization (WHO) of recommending breastfeeding during the first six months of the child's life does not seem to be confirmed by the literature, since the available studies are centred in very specific beneficial effects of maternal breastfeeding. Furthermore, the limitations of the literature include the existence of incongruent results and less solid methodological aspects that should be solved in future research. Given the clinical, social and cultural implications of the politics regarding maternal breast feeding, it is necessary to explain the discrepancies found between studies, and to confirm if maternal breastfeeding is significantly correlated with the children’s health and well-being or if they actually are health beliefs.

Keywords : Breast feeding; Health; Welfare; Development.

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