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Published on: August 7, 2017

Breastfeeding does not increase the risk of asthma at 14 years

Scott W Burgess1, Carolyn J Dakin, Michael J O'Callaghan

  • 1Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Mater Children's Hospital, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101, Australia. sburgess@mater.org.au

Pediatrics
|April 6, 2006
PubMed

Insights

This study found that breastfeeding duration did not significantly impact the prevalence of childhood asthma at 14 years. Breastfeeding neither increases nor decreases the likelihood of developing asthma later in life.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Conflicting data exist on the relationship between breastfeeding and childhood asthma development.
  • Asthma is a common chronic respiratory condition in children, necessitating research into its developmental factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between breastfeeding and the prevalence of asthma in children at 14 years of age.
  • Clarify the impact of breastfeeding duration on late childhood asthma development.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy, a birth cohort study.
  • Collected breastfeeding data via maternal questionnaire at 6 months postpartum.
  • Assessed asthma prevalence through maternal questionnaire at 14 years postpartum.

Main Results:

  • Asthma prevalence was 28.4% in 14-year-old children.
  • Breastfeeding for 4 months or longer showed no significant effect on asthma prevalence.
  • The odds ratio for developing asthma after breastfeeding for >= 4 months was 1.03, with minimal change after adjusting for confounders.

Conclusions:

  • Breastfeeding duration does not appear to influence the prevalence of asthma in children at 14 years.
  • The findings suggest that breastfeeding has a neutral effect on the development of asthma in late childhood.
Abstract

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