title: Breast-feeding, diarrhoea and sanitation as components of infant and child health: a study of large scale survey data from Ghana and Nigeria.
abstract: Using Demographic and Health Survey datasets from Ghana and Nigeria, this study examined whether the protective effects of breast-feeding are greatest where the poorest sanitation conditions prevail. It was found that mixed-fed infants aged between 0 and 11 months tend to have a higher risk of diarrhoea than fully breast-fed children, while the risk of diarrhoea among weaned infants is twice that of mixed-fed infants. The probit regression models employed in the analysis were used to predict the probability of diarrhoea associated with each breast-feeding pattern for both 'poor' and 'good' sanitation areas. It was found that the risk of diarrhoea among mixed-fed infants in the poor sanitation areas tends to be high while the same risk among fully breast-fed infants tends to be minimal. In essence, the health risks of mixed feeding are real, particularly for infants aged less than 7 months, and are even worse for those weaned before 6 months of age.
authors.affiliation: Population Dynamics Unit, ISSER, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ahiadeke
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012499:Sanitation; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects