Infant mortality and breastmilk supplementation in Bangladesh

The effects of timing and type of breast-milk supplementation on infant mortality in Bangladesh are analyzed using a discrete time analog of a continuous time proportional hazards model. Data are from the Determinants of Natural Fertility Study conducted from 1975 to 1978 among some 2,000 women in Matlab thana. "The statistical analyses show that breastfeeding type at various stages of the child's life is a significant predictor of infant mortality, even when variables such as...mother's [age], education, religion and SES [socioeconomic status] are included in the model. The study shows that infants breastfed at birth have better probabilities of survival relative to those who are never breastfed or are given liquid supplements very early in life. This effect remains significant even when mother's nutrition at childbirth, which is used as a proxy for birth weight, is controlled."