In order of assess the results of introduction of the programs aimed at maintenance and support of the breast-feeding it is necessary to use uniform indicators, which guarantee consistency, reliability and comparability of the data. Aim: to perform complex medical and social assessment of the prevalence and duration of the breast-feeding by the example of the Chechen Republic (CR) and the Republic of Ingushetia (RI). Patients and methods: mothers of children aged 12-36 months old were interviewed (n =2200). Statistical analysis was performed with the means of the software «SPSS.17». Results: the mean duration of the breast-feeding in the CR was 9,5 ± 0,22 months among urban population and 10,8 ± 0,29 months among rural population (p < 0,01); in the RI these figures were-8,5 ± 0,26 months and 8,7 ± 0,20 months, respectively (p > 0,05). Up till the age of 6 months 17,6% of urban infants and 36,8% of rural infants of the CR (p < 0,001) and 19,1% of urban and 19,7% of rural infants in the RI (p > 0,05) received exclusive breastfeeding. It was established, that duration of the breast-feeding was influenced by the mothers' attitude to the issue or the dominant mothers' ideology, as well as by the duration of the only breast-feeding itself. Besides, prolongation of the breast-feeding period is contributed by introduction of the modern medico-organizational measures aimed at support and maintenance of the breast-feeding. Conclusions: complex medical and social research allowed to assess prevalence and duration of the breast-feeding in the CR and the RI, in accordance to modern recommendations of the WHO experts. The main social and medico-organizational factors and predictors of the breast-feeding long duration and the exclusive breast-feeding were revealed.

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Breastfeeding is the gold standard of optimal nutrition and largely determines the health of the child not only at an early age, but also in subsequent periods of his life. Due to the optimal composition of breast milk, the child forms such features of lipid, carbohydrate, mineral and energy metabolism, which provide not only the best conditions for physical and intellectual development of the child, but also its social adaptation. Prolonged breastfeeding reduces the subsequent risk of developing socially significant diseases such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Since the 1970s, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) have been active in reviving the culture of breastfeeding. In 1989, they developed a joint declaration Protection, Promotion and Support of Breastfeeding Practices: the Special Role of Obstetric Services, which is based on Ten Principles of Successful Breastfeeding (training of medical personnel, antenatal preparation of pregnant women for breastfeeding, early breastfeeding in the delivery room, keeping mother and baby together and feeding a healthy baby on demand, helping mothers in difficult situations, exclusive breastfeeding, informing mothers about the dangers of pacifiers in initiating breastfeeding, follow-up assistance to mothers after discharge from the maternity hospital). The duration of exclusive breastfeeding (feeding only breast milk) is important for the health of the infant. According to the 2003 WHO recommendations, which are reflected in the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, exclusive breastfeeding should last 6 months. The national program for optimizing the feeding of children of the first year of life in the Russian Federation (2009, 2019) defines recommended periods of exclusive breastfeeding in the range of 4-6 months, and they depend on the health status of the infant. Modern industrially produced complementary foods are created taking into account the principles of healthy eating and contribute to the formation of proper nutritional behavior in children from an early age, which undoubtedly has a favorable effect on the child’s health in the future.

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