Exclusive breastfeeding lowers the odds of childhood diarrhea and other medical conditions: evidence from the 2016 Ethiopian demographic and health survey

Abstract

Background Lack of exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months of infant life contributes to childhood morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to investigate the association of exclusive breastfeeding and childhood illnesses in Ethiopia. Methods A secondary data analysis was conducted using data from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). Descriptive and multivariable logistic regression analyses were carried out. Results A total of 1034 mother-infant pairs were included in the analysis. The overall magnitude of exclusive breastfeeding among infants aged under 6 months was 87.6% (95% CI: 84.3–90.3%). Compared to infants who were non-exclusively breastfed, the odds of having an illness with fever in the last 2 weeks among infants who were exclusively breastfed decreased by 66% (AOR: 0.34; 95% CI: 0.16, 0.75). Similarly, exclusively breastfed infants had lower odds of having an illness with a cough (AOR: 0.38; CI: 0.20, 0.72) and having diarrhea (AOR: 0.33; CI: 0.13, 0.83) compared to non-exclusively breastfed infants. Conclusion Exclusive breastfeeding lowers the odds of an illness with fever, illness with cough and diarrhea. The findings of this study implicate the need for promotion of exclusive breastfeeding in the country.

Exclusive Breastfeeding and Childhood Morbidity: A Narrative Review

“…Out of the 28 studies that included diarrhea as the outcome variable, nearly all studies ( n = 27; one meta-analysis, 19 cross-sectional, five cohort, and two case–control studies) found a statistically significant decrease in the risk of diarrhea in children who were EBF [ 14 , 18 , 24 , 27 , 31 , 39 , 42 , 43 , 53 , 55 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 , 63 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 ]. Only one paper did not find a statistically significant association, and this analysis looked at diarrhea and ARI comorbidity [ 68 ].…”

“…All papers that analyzed fever as the outcome factor reported a decrease in the risk of fever in children who were EBF ( n = 5; 4 cross-sectional, 1 cohort) [ 21 , 66 , 67 , 69 , 74 ]. All articles that examined urinary tract infection ( n = 1), sepsis ( n = 1), acute otitis media ( n = 3), HFMD infection ( n = 1), and broad category of infections ( n = 2) reported a reduced risk of these conditions in children who were EBF [ 12 , 14 , 30 , 33 , 36 , 45 , 64 , 80 ].…”

Exclusive Breastfeeding and Vitamin D Supplementation: A Positive Synergistic Effect on Prevention of Childhood Infections?

“…In Table 1 , we summarized studies on breastfeeding and infections published since 1st January 2010 [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ]. WHO recommended that all mothers should be supported to initiate breastfeeding as soon as possible after birth, within the first hour after delivery [ 59 ].…”

“…A recent nationally representative survey in Ethiopia (1034 infants aged < 6 months) demonstrated that exclusively breastfed subjects had a significant reduction in the frequency of illness with fever in the last 2 weeks compared to non-exclusively breastfed infants. Particularly, exclusively breastfed babies had lower odds ratio (OR) of having an illness with cough (OR 0.38) and diarrhea (OR 0.33) [ 57 ]. This finding agreed with the results of a large USA prospective longitudinal study (6861 children with a follow-up of 4 years) that found an inverse significant association between breastfeeding and the risk of respiratory infections with fever (OR 0.82), otitis media (OR 0.76), and infectious gastroenteritis (OR 0.55) at 3–6 months of life.…”

“…Some studies assessed the implication of natural breastfeeding on gastrointestinal infections in infancy ( Table 1 ). Once again, human milk seems protective against diarrheal diseases development and severity as breastfeeding was significantly associated with reduced incidence/risk of acute gastroenteritis [ 42 , 43 , 45 , 47 , 49 , 50 , 52 , 55 , 57 , 67 ]. A meta-analysis of 18 studies found that not breastfeeding was associated with an increased risk of diarrhea mortality in comparison to exclusive breastfeeding among infants aged <5 months and to any breastfeeding among children aged 6–23 months (relative risk 10.52 and 2.18, respectively) [ 77 ].…”