OBJECTIVES: to identify the prevalence of nonnutritive sucking habits in preschoolers and verify factors associated with persistent habit. METHODS: a cross-sectional analytical study conducted in 17 public educational units of Recife/PE through questionnaire with 524 preschooler guardians. Dependent (digital and pacifier sucking) and independent variables, related to the children (sex, age, breastfeeding, bottle feeding, nocturnal enuresis, school period, caregiver, birth order, dentist visit) and to their mothers (schooling, age, familiar income, outside work, work shift, cohabitation, habits guidance), were associated by Pearson´s chi-square test, Fisher´s Exact test and Poisson´s regression. RESULTS: prevalence of nonnutritive sucking habits was 57%; 47,5% pacifier sucking, 5,7% digital sucking and 3,8% of both habits. After odds ratio adjustment, in a multivariate analysis, variables: breastfeeding and bottle feeding duration remained associated with pacifier sucking, while others variables as mother education, bottle feeding, and children´s age and sex were statistically significant with digital sucking. CONCLUSIONS: nonnutritive sucking habits showed high prevalence, being pacifier sucking most prevalent. Factors related to breastfeeding pattern (bottle feeding and breastfeeding duration) were explanatory factors to the habits persistence and psychosocial factors had relevant association.
Pacifiers; Fingersucking; Habits
