The social origins of infantile colic: questionnaire study covering 76,747 infants.
OBJECTIVE
To describe risk factors for infantile colic.


METHODS
Questionnaire administered by health visitors.


METHODS
Sheffield.


METHODS
Mothers of 76,747 infants born between 1 August 1975 and 31 May 1988, interviewed when the infant was 1 month old.


METHODS
Reporting of infantile colic and its duration; weight of infant leeding, state of the home, socioeconomic characteristics of the parents, parents' age, and mother's parity.


RESULTS
The odds of reporting infantile colic were increased with breast feeding (odds ratio of breast v bottle feeding 1.35 (95% confidence interval 1.28 to 1.43)), increasing parental age, lower parity, increasing parental age at leaving full time education, and more affluent homes and districts of residence. In a logistic regression analysis, mother's age and parity and socioeconomic factors remained the most important risk factors for the reporting of infantile colic (each P < 0.005), and the effect of breast feeding was attenuated (odds ratio of breast v bottle feeding 1.09 (1.02 to 1.15)).


CONCLUSIONS
At a population level, dietary factors contribute little to mothers' reporting of infantile colic, and dietary change should not be the primary intervention.
Crowcroft
N S
NS
Department of Public Health Sciences, St George's Hospital Medical School, London.
Strachan
D P
DP
D000367:Age Factors; D001724:Birth Weight; D001835:Body Weight; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003085:Colic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004522:Educational Status; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007229:Infant Welfare; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010298:Parity; D012307:Risk Factors; D012924:Social Conditions; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors