Breastfeeding in children under six months of age increased from 64.0% to 65.9% between 2021 and 2022

In 2022, 65.9% of girls and boys younger than six months of age received breastfeeding, increasing by 1.9 percentage points compared to 2021; this was reported by the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI) in disclosing the results of the Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES 2022).

Departments that showed a greater preference for favoring this type of feed were: Huánuco, Ayacucho, Apurímac, Moquegua (80.0% to 87.8%). On the contrary, Piura and Madre de Dios (from 35.2% to 49.8%), reported less practice of breastfeeding.

Last year, 93.3% of deliveries took place in a health care facility and were attended by a qualified health care professional, varying by 0.1 percentage point compared to the year 2021 (93.2%). By area of residence, it was higher in the urban area (97.1%), than in the rural area (81.3%).

The departments that reported coverages less than 90% were Amazonas (73.4%), Loreto (77.4%), Cajamarca (84.2%), La Libertad (86.4%) and Ucayali (86.9%).

During 2022, 97.8% of pregnant women at national level received prenatal care, of which 63.2% were provided by an obstetrician, followed by 32.0% by a doctor and 2.7% by a nurse.

20.6% of women aged 15 to 49 years old had anemia, a figure higher by 1.8 percentage points, compared to 2021 (18.8%).

Depending on the condition of pregnancy or breastfeeding, at the time of the survey, 26.2% were pregnant and 22.6% were breastfeeding. By area of residence, it mostly affected the inhabitants of the rural area (21.8%) and in the departments of Puno (35.3%), Ucayali (33.1%) and Loreto (32.9%).

In 2022, 36.6% of births were by caesarean section, a figure higher than that obtained in 2021 (36.3%). This surgical procedure was greater in the urban area (42.5%), than in the rural area (19.3%).

The results of ENDES-2022 show that the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in women aged 15 to 49 years old was 1.9 daughters or sons per woman. By area of residence, the estimated TFR for the rural area (2.8 daughters or sons per woman), was higher than that of the urban area (1.7 daughters or sons per woman).

By 2022, 63.8% of women currently united (married and living together) do not want to have more daughters and sons; compared to 33.1% who want to have them or have more, if they already have daughters and sons.

The INEI noted that 77.9% of women aged 15 to 49 years old currently united (married or living together) use some method of family planning. In this population group, the use of modern methods was higher (56.6%) in 2022, with the most commonly used being the injection (18.7%) and the male condom (12.2%) while 21.4% of women currently united reported using some traditional method.

Over the past year, 13.2% of women aged 40 to 69 years old had a clinical breast exam in the past 12 months. 15.1% corresponded to those women aged 40 to 49 years old segment.

According to ENDES 2022, 55.7% of women reported having been victims of psychological, physical and/or sexual violence, ever by the husband or partner; a percentage close to that obtained in 2021 (54.9%). Psychological and/or verbal violence was most frequently declared (51.9%), followed by physical violence (27.8%) and sexual violence (6.7%).

The INEI reported that 45.7% of women reported that they turned to people close to them for help when they experienced physical violence. Of this total, they mainly resorted to the mother (37.1%), followed by friend(s)/neighbor(s) (19.4%), sister (17.6%), father (16.6%), among the main ones.

Among the reasons expressed by women who were victims of physical violence and who did not seek help, 44.1% said it was not necessary, 17.0% who felt embarrassed and 11.0% who did not know where to go or do not know help services.