Monitoring prevalence of breastfeeding and associated factors: results of the 2022 data collection of the Italian surveillance of children aged 0-2 years.

Objective: To describe breastfeeding and associated factors in a large representative sample of children aged 0-2 years in Italy.

Materials and methods: Data from the 2022 Italian surveillance of children aged 0-2 years, comprised of 35,550 mothers, were analysed to estimate rates of EBF (exclusive breastfeeding), any breastfeeding (BF) and never breastfed (NBF). Logistic regression was used to investigate the association of EBF, BF and NBF with potential predictors.

Results: EBF among children aged 2-3 months varied from 36.4% in the South Italy to 54.0% in the North, decreasing respectively to 19.6% and 35.8% at 4-5 months. At 12-15 months BF ranged between 29.2% (South) and about 40% (Centre and North). Women with Italian citizenship, having a lower educational level, those who never attended antenatal classes (AC), and those residing in the South were significantly less likely to exclusively breastfeed or to breastfeed after the first year of life of the child.

Conclusions: The data underscore the gap between recommendations and actual breastfeeding practices, offering the first national perspective that highlights territorial disparities. The findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions, particularly in light of identified regional and socio-economic differences.