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Breastfeeding is associated with reduced childhood hospitalization: evidence from a Scottish Birth Cohort (1997-2009)
Omotomilola M Ajetunmobi1, Bruce Whyte2, James Chalmers3
1Information Services Division, National Health Service, National Services Scotland, Glasgow, Scotland.
Insights
Infants not exclusively breastfed at 6-8 weeks faced higher hospitalization risks for common childhood illnesses. Formula-fed infants had the greatest risk compared to exclusively breastfed infants in Scotland.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Infant feeding practices are crucial for child health outcomes.
- Understanding the association between feeding patterns and hospitalization risk is vital for public health initiatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the risk of childhood hospitalization linked to infant feeding patterns at 6-8 weeks of age in Scotland.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective population-level study linking multiple health records for single births in Scotland (1997-2009).
- Used descriptive analyses, Kaplan-Meier tests, and Cox regression to assess feeding mode and hospitalization risk.
- Adjusted for parental, maternal, and infant health characteristics.
Main Results:
- Formula-fed and mixed-fed infants showed a higher hazard ratio for hospitalization for common illnesses in the first 6 months compared to exclusively breastfed infants.
- Formula-fed infants had increased risks of hospitalization for gastrointestinal, respiratory, and urinary tract infections, otitis media, fever, asthma, diabetes, and dental caries within the first year and beyond.
- These associations remained significant after adjusting for various health factors.
Conclusions:
- Non-exclusively breastfed infants (at 6-8 weeks) in Scotland experienced increased hospitalization risks for various common childhood illnesses.
- Findings highlight the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for reducing childhood hospitalizations.
Objective:
To evaluate the risk of childhood hospitalization associated with infant feeding patterns at 6-8 weeks of age in Scotland.
Study Design:
A retrospective population level study based on the linkage of birth, death, maternity, infant health, child health surveillance, and admission records for children born as single births in Scotland between 1997 and 2009 (n = 502 948) followed up to March 2012. Descriptive analyses, Kaplan Meier tests, and Cox regression were used to quantify the association between the mode of infant feeding and risk of childhood hospitalization for respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urinary tract infections, and other common childhood ailments during the study period.
Results:
Within the first 6 months of life, there was a greater hazard ratio (HR) of hospitalization for common childhood illnesses among formula-fed infants (HR 1.40; 95% CI 1.35-1.45) and mixed-fed infants (HR 1.18; 95% CI 1.11-1.25) compared with infants exclusively breastfed after adjustment for parental, maternal, and infant health characteristics. Within the first year of life and beyond, a greater relative risk of hospitalization was observed among formula-fed infants for a range of individual illnesses reported in childhood including gastrointestinal, respiratory, and urinary tract infections, otitis media, fever, asthma, diabetes, and dental caries.
Conclusions:
Using linked administrative data, we found greater risks of hospitalization in early childhood for a range of common childhood illnesses among Scottish infants who were not exclusively breastfed at 6-8 weeks of age.
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