Breastfeeding modifies the impact of diarrhoeal disease on relative weight

A longitudinal analysis of 2–12 month‐old Filipino infants

Bibliographic Data

ID15536682
AuthorsMelecia Wright (0000-0001-5522-7796, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, corresponding author), Melecia J Wright (Department of Nutrition, 135 Dauer Drive University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill North Carolina 27599 USA), Michelle A Mendez (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Margaret E Bentley (0000-0002-1220-0208, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Linda S Adair (0000-0002-3670-8073, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Year2016
Volume13
Issue2
Publication date2016-04-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMaternal and Child Nutrition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1740-8695 • E-ISSN: 1740-8709
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/mcn.12312
PMID27062326
OpenAlexW2337301225
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited22

Undernutrition and diarrhoeal disease are major causes of infant mortality. We investigated the combined roles of breastfeeding and diarrhoea on infant size in 2940 infants from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey. The study aimed to assess whether breastfeeding status modified the deficits associated with diarrhoeal disease. The primary exposures were combinations of current breastfeeding status (yes/no), the presence of diarrhoeal disease in previous week (yes/no) and a categorical survey variable (six surveys taken at bimonthly intervals when infants were 2-12 months of age). Relative weight (weight-for-length z-scores), calculated using the WHO growth standards, was estimated using sex-stratified, fixed-effects longitudinal models that also adjusted for energy from complementary foods. Post-estimation Wald tests were conducted to identify subgroup differences in relative weight. Diarrhoea was associated with reduced relative weight in both breastfed and non-breastfed infants of 6-12 months. Diarrhoea-related deficits in relative weight were significantly exacerbated in non-breastfed girls of 6 and 8 months. Importantly, in infants <6 months, being breastfed and having diarrhoea was still associated with greater relative weight compared with being non-breastfed and diarrhoea-free. Breastfeeding emerged as a strong contributor to relative weight in younger infants (<6 months) while diarrhoeal disease strongly contributed to deficits in relative weight in older infants (6-12 months). These findings underscore the importance of breastfeeding for promoting infant nutritional status in infants with or without diarrhoea from birth to 12 months

Breast feeding · Breastfeeding · Confidence interval · Diarrhea · Longitudinal study · Malnutrition · Relative risk · Breastfeeding Practices and Influences · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Demography · Medicine · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Internal Medicine · Pediatrics

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