Atuação de profissionais da saúde na alimentação de lactentes: orientações e potencialidades

Abstract

Introduction: Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life and introduction of complementary foods provide healthy development of infants. However, it demands professional counseling, as multiple sociocultural factors emerge as barriers. Aim: This study aims to analyze healthcare professionals’ recommendations and potentialities regarding infant nutrition at a primary healthcare center in Maceió. Methods: Case study using qualitative research with 12 healthcare professionals from a primary care center in Maceió. Interviews about their counseling were held from May to July 2022, then transcribed and subjected to Bardin’s category-based content analysis, complemented by a discursive textual analysis by the software Iramuteq. This study composes a wide research about maternal and infant health, approved by UFAL Research Ethics Committee (approval no. 4.482.480). Results: Healthcare professionals perform a substantial role in infant nutrition, but family influence, return-to-work after childbirth, lack of professional training, investments in primary health attention and of support groups operate as barriers to their intervention. Still, potentialities such as trustworthiness and integral attention to infant through multiprofessional teamwork improve the quality of healthcare. Conclusions: Qualification of professionals, education of families and investments in the primary healthcare centers are necessary to strengthen the adequate nutrition to infants.