Water consumption and nursing characteristics of infants by race and ethnicity.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this project was to determine racial/ethnic differences in water consumption levels and nursing habits of children younger than 2 years old.


METHODS
Data from the 1994-96 Continuing Survey of Food intakes by individuals (CSFII) were used for these analyses. Water consumption and breast-feeding data on 946 children younger than 2 years old were used.


RESULTS
For black non-Hispanic children younger than 2 years old (n = 121), 5.3 percent of the children were currently being breast fed. This percentage was less than that seen in other racial/ethnic groups. For white non-Hispanic children (n = 620), this percentage was 10.8 percent; for Hispanic children (n = 146), 12.2 percent; for "other" children, 18.5 percent (n = 59). Black non-Hispanic children had the highest total water consumption (128.6 ml/kg/day) among all groups, white non-Hispanic had the lowest (113.2 ml/kg/day). These differences were not statistically significant in multivariate regression modeling. Black non-Hispanic children also drank more tap water (21.3 ml/kg/day) than white non-Hispanic children (12.7 ml/kg/day) and Hispanic children (14.9 ml/kg/day). The difference was statistically significant in multivariate regression modeling.


CONCLUSIONS
The differences in breast feeding and water consumption observed among black children younger than 2 years of age could be a factor in the observed higher levels of fluorosis in black children compared to other children.
Heller
K E
KE
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-2029, USA. kheller@umich.edu
Sohn
W
W
Burt
B A
BA
Feigal
R J
RJ
D001741:Black or African American; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D044383:Black People; D001835:Body Weight; D001942:Breast Feeding; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004326:Drinking; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D009050:Fluorosis, Dental / Q000209:etiology; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011203:Poverty; D014481:United States; D044465:White People