ABSTRACT
Objective:
TO analyze the presence and extent of the Primary Health Care attributes in the breastfeeding process based on the experience of the health professionals in the services certified by the Amamenta Brasil Network in comparison with non-certified services.
Method:
cross-sectional and descriptive study with a quantitative approach, using the PCATool-Brazil - version for professionals, which was applied to 53 health professionals, physicians and nurses, from a city in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was applied, using Student’s t-test and the Mann-Whitney test.
Results:
the services certified by the Amamenta Brasil Network scored higher on Longitudinality(6.7)and Coordination-information systems (8.3).The professionals who were trained by the Amamenta Brasil Network scored higher on Coordination-information systems(8.4)and on Comprehensiveness - available services (7.0).These two groups also gave more positive answers to the other attributes.
Conclusion:
the services certified by and the professionals who were trained by the Amamenta Brasil Network demonstrated a higher degree of orientation towards Primary Health Care. The data appoint that the better performance on the attributes is related, among other factors, to the professionals’ being better qualified to develop practices that value the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding, in accordance with the principles of Primary Health Care.
DESCRIPTORS:
Breast feeding; Primary health care; Professional practice; Maternal and child health; Health evaluation