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Water consumption in 0-6-month-old healthy infants and effective factors: A systematic review
Özge Karakaya Suzan1, Ozge Kaya2, Tugce Kolukısa3
1Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey. ozgekarakayasuzan@sakarya.edu.tr.
Insights
Early water introduction in infants impacts breastfeeding duration and nutritional status. This review highlights common reasons for early water consumption and varying rates among infants aged 0-6 months.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infant Nutrition
- Public Health
Background:
- Early introduction of fluids, including water, can negatively affect breastfeeding duration and infant health.
- Understanding infant water consumption patterns and influencing factors is crucial for promoting optimal infant nutrition and immunity.
Approach:
- A systematic literature review was conducted across seven electronic databases.
- Keywords included 'drinking water,' 'infant,' and 'breastfeeding' for studies published up to April 25, 2022.
Key Points:
- The review analyzed 13 studies involving infants aged 0-6 months.
- Water introduction varied significantly, with common reasons being perceived infant need and cultural practices.
- Infants received water at different ages, from as early as 6 weeks to around 6 months.
Conclusions:
- Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for infants aged 0-6 months.
- Nurses are vital in educating families about appropriate infant feeding practices.
- Identifying factors influencing early fluid introduction can guide targeted interventions and support for families.
Introduction:
Early introduction of fluids and water affects the duration of breastfeeding, the infant immune system, and possibly causes infants to consume less breast milk, which may, in turn, affect their nutritional and immune status.
Objective:
This study was carried out to determine water consumption in 0-6-month-old infants and the factors affecting this consumption.
Materials And Methods:
A literature review was conducted in seven electronic databases (Medline, Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and TÜBITAK) for studies published until April 25, 2022, using the keywords: drinking water, infant, and breastfeeding.
Results:
The systematic review included 13 studies. Five studies were crosssectional, three were descriptive and quasi-experimental, and the others were case-control and cohort studies. It was reported in the examined studies that 86.2% of the infants were around 6 weeks old, 44 % of the infants were 1 month old, 77% were 3 months old, 2.5% were 4 months old, and 2.5 to 85% of the infants were around 6 months old when they first consumed water. The prominent reasons for making the infants drink water are the thought that they need it and cultural reasons.
Conclusions:
The exclusive breastfeeding of 0-6-month-old infants is the recommendation of reliable health authorities. Nurses play a key role in implementing this practice. In this systematic review, it was seen that families gave their infants water at varying rates in the 0-6-month period, and the factors affecting this situation were revealed. If nurses determine which factors affect families in terms of the early introduction of fluids, they could be able to plan the necessary education and interventions.
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