Office-based intervention to reduce bottle use among toddlers: TARGet Kids! Pragmatic, randomized trial.
OBJECTIVE
The goal was to determine whether an office-based, educational intervention for parents of 9-month-old children could reduce bottle use and iron depletion at 2 years of age.


METHODS
Between January 2006 and 2007, 251 healthy, 9-month-old infants attending a routine health maintenance visit were assigned randomly to intervention or control groups. Parents in the intervention group were introduced to a 1-week protocol to wean their children from the bottle. Iron depletion (ferritin levels of <10 microg/L) and bottle use at 2 years were assessed.


RESULTS
A total of 201 children were monitored to 2 years of age (follow-up rate: 81%). Rates of iron depletion (10 [10%] of 102 children vs 13 [13%] of 99 children; P = .42) and milk consumption of >16 oz (16 [16%] of 102 children vs 17 [17%] of 99 children; P = .7) were not significantly different between the 2 groups at 2 years of age. However, children in the intervention group started using a cup 3 months earlier (9 vs 12 months; P = .001), were weaned from the bottle 4 months earlier (12 vs 16 months; P = .004), and were more than one-half as likely to be using a bottle at 2 years of age (15 [15%] of 102 children vs 39 [40%] of 99 children; P = .0004).


CONCLUSIONS
This simple intervention administered during a health maintenance visit did not result in a decrease in iron depletion at 2 years of age but did result in a 60% reduction in prolonged bottle use.
Maguire
Jonathon L
JL
Applied Health Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Department of Pediatrics, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. jonathon.maguire@utoronto.ca
Birken
Catherine S
CS
Jacobson
Sheila
S
Peer
Michael
M
Taylor
Carolyn
C
Khambalia
Amina
A
Mekky
Magda
M
Thorpe
Kevin E
KE
Parkin
Patricia
P
D001903:Bottle Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education*; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*