[Correlation between feeding index and growth development of 6-36 month-old infants in two counties of western China by applying multiple correspondence analysis].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the correlation between feeding index and growth development status of infants from two counties of western China by applying  the method of multiple correspondence analysis.


METHODS
Two sample counties were randomly selected from the ones that satisfied the research  conditions in Shaanxi province and Chongqing in western China. In the study, 472 premature/low birth weight infants (PLBW) and 461 normal term infants  (NT) of 6-36 months from the two counties were investigated from September 2010 to November 2010. The SPSS 19.0 software was applied to analyze the  data using general statistical analysis and multiple correspondence analysis.


RESULTS
In the two counties of western China, the proportion of infants with  feeding index at the medium level was the highest, which was between 50% and 60%. In the PLBW group and the NT group, the proportion of low level of  feeding index among 6-9 month-old infants was the highest, and the proportion was 33.3% for the PLBW group and 29.4% for the NT group. For both the  PLBW group and the NT group, the distribution of feeding index among the different age groups showed significant difference (P<0.05).Among the infants  with low level of feeding index, the growth development of the PLBW lay behind that of the NT. We could see a catching-up trend of the PLBW with  medium or good level of feeding index, but their growth development index was still at a lower level than that of the NT with the same level of feeding  condition. Through multiple correspondence analyses, the outcomes of PLBW corresponded and strongly correlated with low level of feeding index, low  level of growth development index, mother's low education degree and low annual family income. And the outcomes of NT corresponded and strongly  correlated with medium/good level of feeding index, medium level of growth development status, mother's medium/high education degree and  medium/high level of annual family income.


CONCLUSIONS
There are good correspondence correlations at different hierarchical levels of the infants'  group, feeding index, growth development index and family factors in the two counties of western China. Multiple correspondence analysis could directly  reveal the correlation among several variables, which is a suitable method for categorical data. The result can be illustrated directly through a two-dimensional graph and could provide the suggestion of feeding practice for different infants in western rural China.
Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
Hong-da
HD
Chen
Bo
B
Hao
Xiao-ping
XP
Kang
Geng-li
GL
Zhao
Min
M
Zhou
D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005248:Feeding Methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012424:Rural Population; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires