The Brazilian National Breastfeeding Program: a success story.

The Brazilian National Breastfeeding Program launched in 1981, is remarkable for its broad scope, including activities aimed at protecting (employment legislation, control of marketing of substitutes for mother's milk), promoting (use of the media, professional training), and supporting breastfeeding (mothers' groups, information material, and direct counseling). The program was preceded by an assessment in the metropolitan areas of Recife and São Paulo. Evaluation of the program carried out in 1987-1988 shows that it has had an impact; the average duration of breastfeeding increased from 89 to 127 days in São Paulo and from 66 to 104 days in Recife. Exclusive breastfeeding, which averaged 43 days in São Paulo, increased by 1.5 times; while in Recife the increase was 2.2 times, leading to 32 days.