title: Relationship between infant feeding and infectious illness: a prospective study of infants during the first year of life.
abstract: Prior studies investigating the relationship between infant feeding and infectious illnesses in developed countries have provided conflicting data about whether breast-feeding protects against common infectious illnesses early in life. These conflicts may in part be due to the failure to consider the following methodologic issues: (1) collecting data prospectively at frequent intervals for active surveillance of the detection of infections and of feeding practices, (2) specifying what is meant by infectious illnesses and breast-feeding, (3) controlling for confounding variables such as social class or presence of siblings in the household, and (4) applying appropriate analytical strategies to a population in which both feeding and exposure to illness change over time. A total of 500 infants born consecutively in a university-affiliated community hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, were studied prospectively for the first 12 months of life by means of a detailed, monthly, mailed questionnaire that focused on feeding practices and illnesses (overall response rate, 73%). The percentage of infants who were completely or mostly breast-fed decreased from 88% at 1 month to 20% at 12 months of age. After adjustment for major covariates, no statistically significant relationship was found between the type of infant feeding and the incidence of four categories of infectious illnesses: gastroenteritis, upper respiratory illness, otitis media, and lower respiratory illness. The adjusted incidence density ratio for gastroenteritis was 1.067 (95% confidence interval = 0.982, 1.226) and for upper respiratory illnesses 0.984 (95% confidence interval = 0.883, 1.096).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric, Albert Einstein College of Medicine-Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York.
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Leventhal
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Krasilnikoff
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Jekel
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weile
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Levee
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurzon
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berget
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007225:Infant Food; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires