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Breast feeding and mental and motor development at 12 months in a low-income population in northeast Brazil

Sophie Helena Eickmann1, Pedro Israel Cabral de Lira, Marilia de Carvalho Lima

  • 1Department of Maternal and Child Health, Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil.

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology
|February 17, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Early full breastfeeding, defined as exclusive or predominant, at 1 month showed a small but significant benefit in infant mental development. Longer durations of full breastfeeding did not provide additional advantages in mental development or motor skills.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Public Health Nutrition
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Breastfeeding is recognized for its health benefits, but its specific impact on cognitive and motor development requires further investigation.
  • Socio-economic, maternal, environmental, and nutritional factors can influence child development, necessitating control for these variables in research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between breastfeeding and mental/motor development at 12 months.
  • To control for a wide range of potential confounding factors in the analysis.
  • To determine if the duration of full breastfeeding impacts developmental outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study of 205 infants in a low-income area.
  • Bayley Scales of Infant Development II used at 12 months for assessment.
  • Breastfeeding status meticulously recorded at multiple time points up to 360 days.

Main Results:

  • Full breastfeeding at 1 month was linked to a significant (+3.0 points) improvement in mental development scores (P=0.02).
  • No additional mental development benefits were observed with extended durations of full breastfeeding.
  • Full breastfeeding at 1 month correlated with enhanced initiative (P=0.003) and attention (P=0.02) in behavioral ratings.
  • No significant association was found between breastfeeding and motor development outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • Early full breastfeeding (at 1 month) offers a modest but significant advantage for infant mental development.
  • The benefits of full breastfeeding on mental development appear to be established early, with no further gains from prolonged duration.
  • Breastfeeding shows a positive impact on specific behavioral aspects like initiative and attention, but not motor skills at 12 months.

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