Breastfeeding and child disability: a comparison of siblings from the United States

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Child Development

Background:

• The relationship between breastfeeding and long-term child disability is not well-established.
• Understanding this association is crucial for public health recommendations and parental guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of breastfeeding duration on the risk of child disability.
• To analyze the effects of breastfeeding on a nationally representative sample of U.S. children.

Main Methods:

• Utilized merged data from the National Survey of Family Growth and National Health Interview Survey.
• Employed a mother fixed effect model comparing siblings discordant on breastfeeding status to control for unobserved family confounders.
• Included dynamic models accounting for prior child disability status.

Main Results:

• Longer breastfeeding duration was associated with a reduced risk of child disability (approximately 0.2 percentage-points per month).
• This protective effect was observed only for extended breastfeeding durations (intensive margin), not for any breastfeeding (extensive margin).

Conclusions:

• Extended breastfeeding, rather than minimal exposure, appears to be associated with a lower risk of childhood disability.
• Very short breastfeeding durations are unlikely to significantly reduce disability risk.