Breastfeeding duration is inversely associated with asthma in Japanese children aged 3 years

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Recent meta-analyses indicate a negative correlation between breastfeeding duration and childhood asthma.
• Understanding this relationship is crucial for public health initiatives and parental guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between breastfeeding duration and the prevalence of wheeze and asthma in 3-year-old Japanese children.
• To analyze the impact of exclusive breastfeeding duration versus overall breastfeeding duration.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 6412 children from the Kyushu Okinawa Child Health Study.
• Data collected via self-administered questionnaires; wheeze defined by International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood criteria; asthma diagnosed by a physician.
• Multivariate generalized estimating equation methods used for analysis, adjusting for maternal, family, and health characteristics.

Main Results:

• The prevalence of wheeze was 19.5% and asthma was 7.0%.
• Exclusive breastfeeding for ≥4 months showed no significant association with wheeze or asthma compared to <4 months.
• Breastfeeding duration of 10 to <14 months, 14 to <19 months, and ≥19 months (regardless of exclusivity) were independently and inversely associated with asthma (adjusted ORs ranging from 0.67 to 0.73).
• No significant association was found between breastfeeding duration (regardless of exclusivity) and wheeze.

Conclusions:

• The study confirms an inverse association between breastfeeding duration, irrespective of exclusivity, and the prevalence of asthma in children.
• Findings support the recommendation of longer breastfeeding durations for potential asthma prevention in children.