Breastfeeding and determinants of early weaning / Aleitamento materno e os determinantes do desmame precoce / Lactancia y determinantes de destete precoz

Objective: To describe the sociodemographic characteristics of women who weaned early and the risk factors for early weaning Methodology: This is a descriptive study with a quantitative approach, performed in a Basic Health Unit of of Picos, Piauí, Brasil, in august and september 2010, with 56 mothers of children weaned early. Used a semi-structured questionnaire to collect data, covering questions about the sociodemographic profile of mothers, breastfeeding history and characteristics of early weaning. The project was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Piauí, under number 0174.0.045.000-10. Results: The results showed mothers with average monthly income of 740.55 reals; young people in the postpartum period, with an average of 23.4 years of age; 46.4% married; and with 10.5 years of education. Only a mother had six months maternity license, which would correspond to the ideal time for exclusive breastfeeding; and 17 mothers (30.4%) reported insufficient milk as a reason for early weaning. Conclusions: The mothers interviewed had several risk factors for early weaning. It is noteworthy, then, the importance of nurses do a quality monitoring of mother and child, in order to strengthen breastfeeding practices. Descriptors: Weaning. Health Profile. Nursing.