title: Breast feeding and lower respiratory tract illness in the first year of life. Group Health Medical Associates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relation between breast feeding and subsequent experience of lower respiratory tract illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective (from well child visits) and retrospective (from maternal recall) study of breast feeding and prospective assessment by paediatricians of lower respiratory tract illness in infants during first year of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Health maintenance organisation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over 1000 infants who were healthy at birth and whose parents used the paediatricians of a local health maintenance organisation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Duration of breast feeding and type of lower respiratory tract illness (wheezing and non-wheezing) at different age intervals during the first year of life.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Breast feeding was associated with a decreased incidence of wheezing illnesses only in the first four months of life. Interactions existed between breast feeding and sharing a room, being Mexican American, and being a boy. Multivariate techniques showed that after controlling for a variety of factors children who received minimal breast milk had a greater risk of early wheezing illnesses; the risk was further increased by simultaneous exposure to sharing a room.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Breast feeding seems to protect against wheezing respiratory tract illnesses in the first four months of life, particularly when other risk factors are present.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Research Center, Tucson, Arizona 85724.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Holberg
authors.forename: F D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Taussig
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003371:Cough / Q000209:etiology; D006685:Hoarseness / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors