Avaliação da relação do vínculo materno infantil com alimentação responsiva durante a introdução alimentar

Abstract

The first thousand days are considered a crucial period for child health. Studies highlight the importance of evaluating maternal practices and behaviors in child feeding. Responsive feeding is characterized by a reciprocal and respectful caregiver–infant relationship, and is associated with several positive child health outcomes. Various factors may contribute to the adoption of this practice, with emphasis on a strong affective relationship, such as a healthy bond and secure attachment, as well as maternal factors including maternal age, breastfeeding, working outside the home, and pregnancy planning. The mother–infant bond represents the affective and emotional tie between mother and infant, and is classified as healthy, a positive and strong relationship, or disordered, a harmful relationship. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the mother–infant bond and responsive feeding during the introduction of complementary feeding. This is a cross-sectional, quantitative, and observational study conducted at the Federal University of Lavras, Minas Gerais, derived from the project “Attachment and Responsive Feeding in Early Childhood: Evaluation of the Relationship with Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding (AAMAR).” Mothers aged over 18 years with children aged 0–12 months residing in Lavras were included. A questionnaire was administered via Google Forms® to collect sociodemographic data, the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ), and the Infant Feeding Style Questionnaire, Brazilian version (IFSQ-Br). The IFSQ-Br score was stratified into tertiles, mothers in the 3rd tertile was considered as having higher responsive feeding. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata® version 13.0, applying the chi-square test and multinomial logistic regressions to identify factors associated with maternal responsiveness. The results indicate that mothers with a disordered bond had 6.16 times higher odds of being in the 1st tertile of responsive feeding compared to those in the 3rd tertile (RRR = 6.16; 95% CI: 1.39–27.7; p = 0.017). Therefore, a disordered bond is negatively associated with responsive feeding among mothers of children in the complementary feeding phase.