Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026
A Clinical Trial Assessing the Safety, Efficacy, and Delivery of Olive-Oil-Based Three-Chamber Bags for Parenteral Nutrition
Published on: September 20, 2019
Feeding and nutritional status among infants in Basrah City, Iraq: a cross-sectional study
1Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Basrah University, Iraq.
Insights
Over 90% of infants were initially breast-fed, with higher rates in lower socioeconomic groups. Exclusively breast-fed infants showed better weight-for-age, though overall growth faltered slightly.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Nutrition Science
Background:
- Infant feeding practices significantly impact child health outcomes.
- Socioeconomic status often influences access to resources and health information, affecting infant nutrition.
- Understanding feeding trends is crucial for developing targeted public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate infant feeding patterns in Basrah city.
- To analyze the relationship between feeding modes, socioeconomic status, and infant growth.
- To assess the hygiene of feeding bottle cleaning practices.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study involving 772 infants from Basrah's Maternal and Child Health Clinics.
- Collection of feeding histories and weight-for-age data from October 1983 to May 1984.
- Comparison of growth parameters based on feeding status and socioeconomic background.
Main Results:
- Initial breast-feeding exceeded 90%, with higher prevalence in low socioeconomic status (LSES) infants.
- Exclusive breast-feeding decreased significantly within the first six months.
- Exclusively breast-fed infants (2-7 months) were significantly heavier than partially or non-breast-fed infants.
- Hygiene in bottle cleaning was better in high socioeconomic status (HSES) families.
- Infant weight-for-age showed mild faltering relative to NCHS median reference weights.
Conclusions:
- Breast-feeding remains a primary infant feeding method, influenced by socioeconomic factors.
- Exclusive breast-feeding is associated with improved early infant weight-for-age.
- Bottle-feeding supplementation and hygiene practices vary by socioeconomic status, highlighting areas for health education.
- Public health initiatives should address socioeconomic disparities in infant feeding and promote optimal practices for better child growth.
Abstract:
Feeding histories were collected on 772 randomly selected infants visiting Maternal and Child Health Clinics in Basrah city between October 1983 and May 1984. Weight-for-age data on 557 of these infants (72 per cent) were also obtained. Over 90 per cent of infants were breast-fed initially, and prevalence rates of breast-feeding during infancy were higher among infants of low socioeconomic status (LSES) than those of high socioeconomic status (HSES). Exclusive breast-feeding declined sharply during the first 6 months of life. Supplementation of breast-feeding with bottle-feeding was common, especially among HSES infants. Methods of cleaning infant feeding bottles were more hygienic among HSES than LSES families. Comparison of the weight-for-age of infants on different feeding modes in the 2-7 months age group showed that exclusively breast-fed infants were slightly, but significantly, heavier than partially breast-fed or non-breast-fed infants. Mild faltering of weight-for-age with age was observed, relative to the NCHS median reference weight.
