title: Breastfeeding is associated with reduced childhood hospitalization: evidence from a Scottish Birth Cohort (1997-2009).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the risk of childhood hospitalization associated with infant feeding patterns at 6-8 weeks of age in Scotland.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective population level study based on the linkage of birth, death, maternity, infant health, child health surveillance, and admission records for children born as single births in Scotland between 1997 and 2009 (n = 502 948) followed up to March 2012. Descriptive analyses, Kaplan Meier tests, and Cox regression were used to quantify the association between the mode of infant feeding and risk of childhood hospitalization for respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urinary tract infections, and other common childhood ailments during the study period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Within the first 6 months of life, there was a greater hazard ratio (HR) of hospitalization for common childhood illnesses among formula-fed infants (HR 1.40; 95% CI 1.35-1.45) and mixed-fed infants (HR 1.18; 95% CI 1.11-1.25) compared with infants exclusively breastfed after adjustment for parental, maternal, and infant health characteristics. Within the first year of life and beyond, a greater relative risk of hospitalization was observed among formula-fed infants for a range of individual illnesses reported in childhood including gastrointestinal, respiratory, and urinary tract infections, otitis media, fever, asthma, diabetes, and dental caries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using linked administrative data, we found greater risks of hospitalization in early childhood for a range of common childhood illnesses among Scottish infants who were not exclusively breastfed at 6-8 weeks of age.
authors.affiliation: Information Services Division, National Health Service, National Services Scotland, Glasgow, Scotland. Electronic address: o.ajetunmobi@nhs.net.
authors.forename: Omotomilola M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Ajetunmobi
authors.affiliation: Glasgow Centre for Population Health, Glasgow, Scotland.
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Whyte
authors.affiliation: Information Services Division, National Health Service, National Services Scotland, Glasgow, Scotland; National Education Scotland, National Health Service, National Services Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chalmers
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Epidemiology and Community Health (PEACH) Unit, Glasgow University, Glasgow, Scotland.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Tappin
authors.affiliation: National Health Service (NHS), Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow, Scotland.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wolfson
authors.affiliation: Information Services Division, National Health Service, National Services Scotland, Glasgow, Scotland.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.affiliation: National Health Service (NHS) Health Scotland.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: MacDonald
authors.affiliation: Information Services Division, National Health Service, National Services Scotland, Glasgow, Scotland.
authors.forename: Rachael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.affiliation: Information Services Division, National Health Service, National Services Scotland, Glasgow, Scotland.
authors.forename: Diane L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Stockton
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology