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Association of breastfeeding practices during the first 12 months and subsequent infant respiratory tract infections:
Weiming Wang1, Menghan Tu1, Li Huang1
1Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, MOE Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, 430030, Wuhan, China.
Insights
Exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding for one year significantly lowers infant respiratory tract infection (RTI) risk and hospitalizations. This supports breastfeeding as a key factor in infant respiratory health.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Breastfeeding and human milk are recognized as the optimal standard for infant nutrition.
- Infant feeding practices significantly influence health outcomes, particularly respiratory health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between breastfeeding practices within the first year of life and the incidence of infant respiratory tract infections (RTIs).
- To evaluate the impact of breastfeeding duration on the risk of RTIs and related hospitalizations in infants.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of data from the Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort study.
- Breastfeeding information collected at 3, 6, and 12 months; RTIs and hospitalizations assessed at 24 months.
- Log-Poisson regression models used to analyze the association between breastfeeding and RTIs/hospitalization risk.
Main Results:
- Infants fully breastfed for six months and continued for one year (F6-L group) showed lower RTI risks compared to formula-fed (FF) infants.
- Formula-fed infants had significantly higher adjusted risks for overall RTIs (RR 1.34), upper RTIs (RR 1.31), and lower RTIs (RR 1.59).
- Formula-fed infants exhibited a higher adjusted risk for RTI-related hospitalization (RR 1.88) compared to the F6-L group.
Conclusions:
- Sustained breastfeeding for at least one year, following six months of exclusive breastfeeding, is linked to reduced infant RTI incidence.
- Breastfeeding practices are crucial in mitigating the risk of respiratory infections and hospitalizations in infants.
- Promoting extended breastfeeding is recommended to improve infant respiratory health outcomes.
Background:
Breastfeeding and human milk are the normative standards for infant feeding and nutrition.
Objectives:
We aimed to examine the association of breastfeeding practices during the first year of life with subsequent infant respiratory tract infections (RTIs).
Methods:
The study was a secondary analysis embedded in the Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort study. Information on infant breastfeeding was collected at 3, 6, and 12 months of age. Pediatrician-diagnosed infant RTIs and hospitalization for RTIs during 12-24 months were obtained at 24 months postpartum. Robust log-Poisson regression models were applied to explore the association of breastfeeding practices with RTIs risk and hospitalization due to RTIs.
Results:
Among the 5242 infants studied, 13.1% (n = 435) of infants received full breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding for at least one year (F6-L). When compared with infants in the F6-L group, those who were formula fed (FF) had a higher risk of RTIs, including upper RTIS and lower RTIS, the adjusted RRs (95%CIs) were 1.34 (1.17, 1.53), 1.31 (1.12, 1.52), 1.59 (1.10, 2.31), respectively. When compared with infants in the F6-L group, the adjusted RRs (95%CIs) for hospitalization from RTIs was 1.88 (1.20, 2.95) for the FF group.
Conclusion:
Full breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding for at least one year was associated with a lower risk of subsequent infant RTIs and hospitalization from RTIs.
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