 |
|
Breastfeeding and Asthma in Young Children
Findings From a Population-Based Study
Sharon Dell, MD;
Teresa To, PhD
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2001;155:1261-1265.
Objective To evaluate the association between breastfeeding and asthma in young
Canadian children.
Methods Baseline data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and
Youth (a population-based study of child health and well-being) were used.
A weighted sample of 331 100 (unweighted n = 2184) children between the
ages of 12 and 24 months, whose biological mother reported data on breastfeeding
and asthma, were included. Outcomes included parental report of physician-diagnosed
asthma and wheeze in the previous year. Breastfeeding was categorized by duration
as follows: less than 2 months, 2 to 6 months, 7 to 9 months, and longer than
9 months. Logistic regression analyses were conducted with breastfeeding duration
dichotomized at various cutoffs. Important potential confounders were considered
in the adjusted analyses. Published statistical methods appropriate for the
sampling strategy were used.
Results The prevalence of asthma was 6.3%; and wheeze, 23.9%. Almost half of
the children (44.0%) were breastfed for less than 2 months. After adjustment
for smoking, low birth weight, low maternal education, and sex, a duration
of breastfeeding for 9 months or less was found to be a risk factor for asthma
(odds ratio, 2.39; 99% confidence interval, 0.95-6.03) and wheeze (odds ratio,
1.54; 99% confidence interval, 1.04-2.29). A dose-response effect was observed
with breastfeeding duration.
Conclusions A longer duration of breastfeeding appears to be protective against
the development of asthma and wheeze in young children. More public health
efforts should be directed toward increasing the initiation and duration of
breastfeeding.
From the Division of Respiratory Medicine (Dr Dell) and Population
Health Sciences, Research Institute (Drs Dell and To), The Hospital for Sick
Children, Toronto, Ontario; and the Department of Public Health Sciences,
University of Toronto, and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences,
Toronto (Dr To).
Corresponding author and reprints: Teresa To, PhD, Population Health
Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave, Toronto, Ontario,
Canada M5G 1X8 (e-mail: teresa.to{at}sickkids.ca).
 CiteULike  Connotea  Del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Technorati
What's this?
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
|
Marketing Infant Formula Through Hospitals: the Impact of Commercial Hospital Discharge Packs on Breastfeeding
Rosenberg et al.
Am. J. Public Health 2008;98:290-295.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Effect of prolonged and exclusive breast feeding on risk of allergy and asthma: cluster randomised trial
Kramer et al.
BMJ 2007;335:815-815.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Bottle Feeding and Exposure to Toxocara as Risk Factors for Wheezing Illness among Under-five Amazonian Children: A Population-based Cross-sectional Study
Ferreira et al.
J Trop Pediatr 2007;53:119-124.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Is Being Breastfed as an Infant Associated with Adult Pulmonary Function?
Shaukat et al.
J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 2005;24:327-333.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Prevention strategies for asthma -- primary prevention
CMAJ 2005;173:S20-S24.
FULL TEXT
Breastfeeding, Asthma, and Atopic Disease: An Epidemiological Review of the Literature
Oddy and Peat
J Hum Lact 2003;19:250-261.
ABSTRACT
Breastfeeding and the Risk of Hospitalization for Respiratory Disease in Infancy: A Meta-analysis
Bachrach et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2003;157:237-243.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Genetic and Perinatal Risk Factors for Asthma Onset and Severity: A Review and Theoretical Analysis
Bracken et al.
Epidemiol Rev 2002;24:176-189.
FULL TEXT
|
