Duration of Breastfeeding and Maternal-Related Factors in Iran, Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Although the benefits of breastfeeding are commonly approved, there remains a significant discrepancy between maternal practices and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines in some countries.

Objectives: We had two aims in this study; average duration of breastfeeding, and its maternal determinants.

Data sources: A web-based citation index was used for citing documents.

Study eligibility criteria and participants: We included observational studies evaluating breastfeeding duration among children who were at least two years old and not older than five were included in Iran.

Synthesis methods: The pooled mean and mean differences were considered. Heterogeneity was evaluated with the I² statistic.

Results: The pooled mean of breastfeeding duration was calculated at 17.31 months. Children with younger mothers and lower birth orders had shorter durations of breastfeeding. Women with a high school and higher education level had early cessation of breastfeeding in comparison with less educated women.

Limitations: The main limitation of the current study was lack of librarian assistance.

Conclusions: The pooled mean of breastfeeding duration in Iranian children aged 2-5 was less than WHO recommendations. Accurate identification of the effect a mother's level of education has on duration of lactation requires standardized categorization.

Implications of key findings: Raising awareness among women can be an effective strategy in increasing the duration of lactation.