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Relationship of breast feeding versus bottle feeding with emergency room visits and hospitalization for infectious
Insights
Breastfeeding significantly reduces infectious disease risk in infants. Shorter breastfeeding durations correlate with higher hospitalization rates, highlighting the protective benefits of breast milk.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Infant feeding practices are crucial for disease prevention.
- Understanding the impact of breastfeeding on common childhood infections is essential for public health initiatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare breastfeeding habits between infants with infectious diseases and healthy infants.
- To investigate the association between breastfeeding duration and hospitalization rates in infants.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 480 Jewish infants in a pediatric emergency room (ER) with infectious diseases and 502 healthy Jewish infants from maternal-child health centers (MCH).
- Analysis of breastfeeding prevalence and duration in relation to specific infectious diseases (gastroenteritis, upper respiratory infections, otitis media, lower respiratory tract infections).
Main Results:
- Breastfeeding was significantly less prevalent in infants under 5 months with acute gastroenteritis and upper respiratory infections attending the ER compared to healthy infants in MCH centers (22.6% and 18.5% vs. 53.4%).
- A similar trend was observed for infants with acute otitis media and lower respiratory tract infections.
- A very short breastfeeding period (≤2 weeks) was more common in the ER group and linked to a higher hospitalization rate.
Conclusions:
- Breast milk plays a vital role in reducing the incidence of emergency room visits for infectious diseases in infants.
- Promoting breastfeeding can potentially decrease infant hospitalization rates, emphasizing its public health significance.
Abstract:
Breast-feeding habits of 480 Jewish infants visiting a pediatric emergency room (ER) with infectious diseases were compared to those of 502 healthy infants visiting maternal-child health centers (MCH). (These centers are attended by almost 100% of the Jewish infant population.) Among infants under 5 months of age with acute gastroenteritis and upper respiratory infections, breast feeding was significantly less prevalent than among age-matched infants in the MCH group (22.6%, 18.5% and 53.4% respectively, P less than 0.0001). Infants with acute otitis media and lower respiratory tract infections showed the same trend although the numbers were small. A very short breast-feeding period of 2 weeks or less was more prevalent among the ER group and was associated with increased hospitalization rate. These data emphasize the importance of breast milk in reduction of ER visiting and hospitalization rate.