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Growth, feeding practices and infections in black infants
S D Delport1, P J Becker, A Bergh
1Department of Paediatrica, Kalafong Hospital, Pretoria.
Insights
Black infants show adequate growth in the first three months, but growth falters after introducing supplementary foods. Infections, particularly upper airway infections, are common from nine months.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Infant Nutrition
Background:
- Early life growth and health are critical for long-term well-being.
- Understanding infant feeding practices and infection prevalence is essential for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the growth patterns, early feeding practices, and infection prevalence in black infants.
- To compare infant growth with established reference populations.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study with prospective data collection was conducted.
- Term infants with a positive rapid plasma reagin test on cord blood were enrolled and followed if they did not have congenital syphilis.
Main Results:
- Infant growth Z-scores were comparable to the National Center of Health Statistics (NCHS) reference population in the first 3 months, then declined.
- Breastfeeding was prevalent, but 78% of infants received supplementary food by 3 months.
- 40% of infants experienced infections by 9 months, with upper airway infections being the most common.
Conclusions:
- Black infants exhibit adequate growth in the initial 3 months of life.
- A decline in growth performance is observed from 3 months, coinciding with the introduction of supplementary foods.
- Early introduction of supplementary food may be linked to impaired growth trajectory in black infants.
Objective:
To investigate the growth, early feeding practices and prevalence of infections in black infants.
Design:
Longitudinal study with prospective documentation of data.
Setting:
Kalafong Hospital, Pretoria.
Patients:
Term, appropriately grown infants with a positive rapid plasma reagin test on cord blood were enrolled. Infants who on follow-up did not have congenital syphilis were studied.
Results:
At birth the mean weight-for-age Z-scores corresponded with those of the National Center of Health Statistics (NCHS) reference population and increased during the first 3 months. A fall-off in growth performance in respect of weight gain occurred from 3 months and continued until 15 months when the study was terminated. At 6 and 12 months, 86% and 81% of infants respectively were receiving breast-milk. By 3 months, 78% of infants were receiving a supplementary food. At 9 months, 40% of infants had experienced an infection during the preceding 3 months. During the study, upper airway infections comprised 74% of all episodes of infection.
Conclusions:
Compared with the NCHS reference population, black infants grow adequately during the first 3 months of life. This is followed by a persistent fall-off in growth performance associated with the introduction of supplementary food.