Relationship Between Type of Infant Feeding and Hospitalization for Gastroenteritis in Shanghai Infants

Abstract

This analysis examines the relationship between feeding type and hospitalization for gastroenteritis based on the combined data of 3285 infants from the Jing-An and Chang-Ning epidemiological studies of children's health in Shanghai. Infants were classified into "ever" and "never" breastfeeding groups. The risk of hospitalization for gastroenteritis in the ever breastfed infants was significantly lower than that in the never breastfed infants, 3.4 percent versus 5.3 percent (p<.01). After controlling for covariates, the odds ratio was 0.66 (95% confidence interval=0.46-0.94). The data suggest that breastfeeding offers moderate protection against hospitalization for gastroenteritis in Shanghai infants.

Keywords

bottle-feeding breastfeeding gastroenteritis hospitalization infant

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

1. Kovar MG , Serdula MK , Marks JS , Fraser DW : Review of the epidemiologic evidence for an association between infant feeding and infant health. Pediatrics 1984; 74:615-6638.

2. Jason JM , Nieburg P , Marks JS : Mortality and infectious disease associated with infant-feeding practices in developing countries. Pediatrics 1984; 74:702-727.

3. Kramer MS : Infant feeding, infection, and public health. Pediatrics 1988; 81:164-166.

4. Chen Y , Yu SZ , Li WX : Artificial feeding and hospitalization in the first 18 months of life. Pediatrics 1988; 81:58-62.

5. Chen Y , Li WX , Yu SZ : Influence of passive smoking on admissions for respiratory illness in early childhood. Br Med J 1986; 293 (6542): 303-306.

6. Chen Y , Li WX , Yu SZ , Qian WH : Chang-Ning Epidemiological Study of Children's Health: I. Passive smoking and children's respiratory diseases. Int J Epidemiol 1988;17:348-355.

7. Kleinbaum DG , Kupper LL , Morgenstern H : Epidemiologic Research. Belmont, California: Life Learning Publication, 1982; pp. 96-116.

8. BMDP Statistical Software Manual. Los Angeles, CA: BMDP Sta-tistical Software, Inc., 1990; pp. 1013-1079.

9. Agresti A : Categorical Data Analysis. New York: Wiley-Interscience Publication, 1990; pp. 306-346.

10.

10. Chen Y : Factors associated with artificial feeding in Shanghai. Am J Public Health 1992; 82:264-266.

11.

11. Ellestad-Sayed J , Coodin FJ , Dilling LA , Haworth JC : Breast feeding protects against infection in Indian infants. Can Med Assoc J 1979; 120:295-298.

12.

12. Schaefer O , Spady DW : Changing trends in infant feeding patterns in the Northeast Territories 1973-1979. Can J Public Health 1982; 73:304-309.

13.

13. Forman MR , Graubard B , Hoffman HJ , Beren R , Harley EE , Bennett P : The Pima infant feeding study: breast-feeding and gastroenteritis in the first year of life. Am J Epidemiol 1984; 119:335-349.

14.

14. Clavano NR : Mode of feeding and its effect on infant mortality and morbidity. J Trop Pediatr 1982; 82:287-293.