Quem s？o as mulheres que amamentam por 2 anos ou mais?

objective: to identify factors associated with continuation of breastfeeding for 2 years or more. methods: this was a cohort study that followed 151 children recruited at the hospital de clínicas in porto alegre, brazil, from birth until ages ranging from 3 to 5 years. mothers were interviewed in person in the maternity unit, at 7 and 30 days after delivery, and when their children were from 3 to 5 years old. interviews were also conducted at 60, 120 and 180 days, by telephone when possible, or during a home visit otherwise. associations between the outcome (breastfeeding for 2 years or more) and explanatory variables were investigated using poisson regression within a hierarchical model. results: the following variables had positive associations with the outcome: mother staying at home with her child for the first 6 months [relative risk (rr) = 2.13; 95% confidence interval (95%ci) 1.12-4.05]; not using a pacifier (rr = 2.45; 95%ci 1.58-3.81); and later introduction of water and/or teas and of other milks. each extra day that these liquids were not introduced was associated with 0.5% and 0.1% greater probability of the child being breastfed beyond 2 years, respectively. cohabitation with the child’s father had a negative association with the outcome (rr = 0.61; 95%ci 0.37-0.99). conclusion: mothers staying at home with their children for the first 6 months of their lives, not cohabiting with a partner, not giving their children pacifiers and delaying introduction of water and/or teas and of other milks are characteristics and behaviors associated with continuation of breastfeeding for 2 years or more.