[Feeding practices in infants: a 6-month prospective cohort study].
The aims of this work were to assess timing of complementary feeding in infants and to precise the underlying factors that may cause inappropriate complementary feeding.


METHODS
A cohort of 167 newborns, born in the same maternity ward during a 6 week-period, was prospectively analyzed. Only healthy neonates were included in the study. A phone questionnaire was filled at 4 and 6 months of age to evaluate modality of complementary feeding. Multivariate analysis (segmentation tree, analyse by multiple correspondence) was used to study factors associated with inappropriate diversification.


RESULTS
Out of the 167 neonates included in the study, 132 mothers could be contacted at 4 months and 116 at 6 months of age. Sixty-seven per cent of mothers started breast feeding at birth. Among these, 33% still breastfed -at least partially- at 4 months and 17% at 6 months. Fifty-two percent of mothers started complementary feeding before 4 months, and 24% of infants received gluten at 4 months of age. Multi-gravida mothers, mothers aged more than 35 years old and mothers who gave infant or follow-up formulae before 4 months, started complementary feeding significantly earlier (P<0.05). Infants who were formula fed received more frequently complementary feeding before the age of 4 months than breast fed infants (57% vs 33%, P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study showed that half of infants were introduced solid food too early and allowed to identify a population at risk that could benefit from nutritional intervention programs.
Bigot-Chantepie
S
S
Unité de gastroentérologie, hépatologie et nutrition, clinique de pédiatrie, hôpital Jeanne-de-Flandre, avenue Eugene-Avinee, 59037 Lille, France.
Michaud
L
L
Devos
P
P
Depoortère
M H
MH
Dubos
J P
JP
Gottrand
F
F
Turck
D
D
D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002657:Child Development; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors