Infant Feeding Practices That Substitute Exclusive Breastfeeding in a Semi-Rural Mexican Community: Types, Moments, and Associated Factors

International organizations recommend mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) during the first six months of their infant's life and introduce complementary feeding (CF) thereafter while continuing breastfeeding. However, the earlier introduction of liquids and foods is common worldwide and may have negative effects on breastfeeding practice, nutrition, and health. In this formative cross-sectional study, we interviewed 143 mothers from semi-rural communities in Tabasco, Mexico, whose infants were 4-6 months old. We explored (1) which feeding practices substituted EBF and (2) which factors were associated with each practice. During the first month of life, 42.7% of infants received formula milk (FM); this proportion increased to 74.5% by the sixth month. Adjusted Poisson regression analyses showed that giving FM was positively related to working away from home (PR 1.27; 95% CI 1.06, 1.54) and the perception that FM is an important food to accompany breast milk (PR 1.38; 95% CI 1.19, 1.70). Giving FM was negatively associated with not being sure the infant is full after breastfeeding (PR 0.75; 95% CI 0.61, 0.92). Regarding CF, less than half (47.5%) of infants had not received it by the fifth month. Factors positively associated with timely CF introduction were: the mother was told during prenatal care visits the optimal age to start CF is 6 months (PR 1.17, 95% CI 1.06, 1.29); she is convinced that giving only breast milk is best for her baby (PR 1.15, 95% CI 1.03, 1.29), and a higher infant weight-for-length (PR 1.04, 95% CI 1.00, 1.08) and length for age (PR 1.04, 95% CI 1.00, 1.09) z-scores at the study visit; conversely, it was negatively associated to the idea that if the infant is not full, she/he should receive formula milk or some other food (PR 0.87, 95% CI 0.78, 0.96). In these communities, EBF is lost to the use of FM and early CF. The factors associated with these inadequate feeding practices are related to returning to work, information received during prenatal visits, and the mother's beliefs and thoughts. This work will guide the design of an intervention on infant feeding practices for these communities and other similar ones.