Breast feeding, nutritional state, and child survival in rural Bangladesh

Abstract

The effect of breast feeding on nutritional state, morbidity, and child survival was examined prospectively in a community in rural Bangladesh. Every month for six months health workers inquired about breast feeding and illness and measured arm circumference in an average of 4612 children aged 12-36 months.Data from children who died within one month of a visit were compared with those from children who survived. Roughly one third ofthe deaths in the age range 18-36 months were attributable to absence of breast feeding. Within this age range protection conferred by breast feeding was independent of age but was evident only in severely malnourished children.In communities with a high prevalence of malnutrition breast feeding may substantially enhance child survival up to 3 years of age.

Breast and complementary feeding practices in relation to morbidity and growth in Malawian infants

“…Similarly, in a developed country (USA), breastfeeding reduced pneumonia and gastroenteritis incidence by 32 and 15%, respectively (Wright et al, 1998). The extent to which the duration of breastfeeding relates to reduced susceptibility to infection is less clear (Briend et al, 1988).…”

Systematic review concerning the age of introduction of complementary foods to the healthy full-term infant

“…In areas where diarrhoea commonly occurs in the vulnerable period immediately following initiation of complementary feeding, its severity may be attenuated by a protective effect of breast-feeding (Adair et al, 1993;Clemens et al, 1986;Briend et al, 1978). Evidence on which to base breast-feeding advice aimed at obtaining maximal bene®ts is much needed.…”

“…Evidence on which to base breast-feeding advice aimed at obtaining maximal bene®ts is much needed. The degree of breastfeeding required to confer protection against disease has not been identi®ed, neither are there suf®cient data relating to the duration of breast-feeding which is optimal within a speci®c population (Briend et al, 1978). Briend and colleagues have reported that breast-feeding may confer protection against diarrhoeal disease for up to 3 months after the onset of complementary feeding.…”

“…Studies to date have categorised subjects by their current feeding pattern, when perhaps the method of feeding prior to the onset of disease is more relevant (Popkin et al, 1990). For example, causal direction is dif®cult to establish since mothers in certain cultures are known to cease breastfeeding when diarrhoea commences, fearing their milk to be contaminated (Briend et al, 1978). Moreover, the dif®-culty in separating the duration of the detrimental effects of not breast-feeding from those associated with the introduction of contaminated complementary foods further confounds these issues (Ahmed et al, 1993;Martines et al, 1994).…”

Bacterial contamination of weaning foods and drinking water in rural Bangladesh

“…Recent studies in Bangladesh have shown that breast-feeding considerably reduces the risk of dying (5). Although over 60 % of these children breast-feed into their third year of life (6) the infant and child mortality rates in Bangladesh are among the highest in the world (7).…”