title: Feeding bottles usage and the prevalence of childhood allergy and asthma.
abstract: This study aimed to examine the association between the length of use of feeding bottles or pacifiers during childhood and the prevalence of respiratory and allergic morbidities. A large-scale questionnaire survey was performed in day care centers and kindergartens (with children's ages ranging from 2 to 7 years) in southern Taiwan, and a total of 14,862 questionnaires completed by parents were finally recruited for data analysis. Effects of using feeding bottles on children's wheezing/asthma (adjusted OR: 1.05, 95% CI 1.00-1.09), allergic rhinitis (adjusted OR: 1.04, 95% CI 1.00-1.08), and eczema (adjusted OR: 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.2) were found. Moreover, significant dose-dependent relationships were further established after an adjustment for confounders was performed that included children's ages, gender, gestational age, birth weight, length of breastfeeding, the age when first given infant formula or complementary foods, family history, parental educational levels, and smoking status, as well as the problem of indoor water damage. This study was the first to reveal the potential risk of using plastic consumer products such as feeding bottles on the reported health status of preschool children in Asian countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70403, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Nai-Yun
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Pei-Chih
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Carl-Gustaf
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Bornehag
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sundell
authors.forename: Huey-Jen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001724:Birth Weight; D001903:Bottle Feeding / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004485:Eczema / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D041943:Infant Formula; D008297:Male; D041361:Pacifiers / Q000009:adverse effects; D015995:Prevalence; D012135:Respiratory Sounds; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology