Association of Breastfeeding Duration with Body Composition in Children Aged 3-5 Years / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

OBJECTIVE@#This study aimed to assess the relationship between the body composition of children aged 3-5 years and breastfeeding status and duration.@*METHODS@#The study was conducted using data from the National Nutrition and Health Systematic Survey for children 0-17 years of age in China (CNHSC), a nationwide cross-sectional study. Breastfeeding information and potential confounders were collected using standardized questionnaires administered through face-to-face interviews. The body composition of preschool children was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. A multivariate linear regression model was used to assess the relationship between breastfeeding duration and body composition after adjusting for potential confounders.@*RESULTS@#In total, 2,008 participants were included in the study. Of these, 89.2% were ever breastfed and the median duration of breastfeeding was 12 months (IQR 7-15 months). Among children aged 3 years, the height-for-age Z-score (HAZ) for the ever breastfed group was lower than that for never breastfed group (0.12 vs. 0.42, P = 0.043). In addition, the weight-for-age Z-score (WAZ) of the ever breastfed group was lower than that of the never breastfed group (0.31 vs. 0.65, P = 0.026), and the WAZ was lower in children aged 4 years who breastfed between 12 and 23 months than in those who never breastfed. Compared to the formula-fed children, the fat-free mass of breastfed infants was higher for children aged 3 years (12.84 kg vs. 12.52 kg, P = 0.015) and lower for those aged 4 years (14.31 kg vs. 14.64 kg, P = 0.048), but no difference was detected for children aged 5 years (16.40 kg vs. 16.42 kg, P = 0.910) after adjusting for potential confounders. No significant difference was detected in the weight-for-height Z-score (WHZ), body mass index (BMI)-for-age Z-score (BAZ), fat-free mass index, and body fat indicators in the ever breastfed and never breastfed groups and among various breastfeeding duration groups for children aged 3-5 years.@*CONCLUSION@#No obvious associations were detected between breastfeeding duration, BMI, and fat mass indicators. Future prospective studies should explore the relationship between breastfeeding status and fat-free mass.

Determinants of Early Initiation, Exclusiveness, and Duration of Breastfeeding in Uganda.

Breastfeeding practices in Uganda are contrary to the best practice recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). Only six in 10 Ugandan children below the age of six months are exclusively breastfed. This paper investigated the determinants of breastfeeding practices in Uganda. Using the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) of 2006, we employed probit and Cox’s regression techniques as well as the Kaplan-Meier survival functions during the analysis. On average, 56% and 46% initiated breastfeeding in the first hour and practised exclusive breastfeeding respectively while 25%, 50%, and 75% terminated breastfeeding at 18, 24, and 26 months respectively. The mean number of months of breastfeeding was 14.1, and the maximum was 40. Hospital delivery increased the probability of early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding by 4-5% (p<0.01) and 7-8% (p<0.01) respectively. Prenatal care increased the probability of early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding by 6-7% (p<0.05) and 5-7% (p<0.05) respectively. Birth intervals less than 24 months increased the risk of early termination of breastfeeding by 19% (p<0.01). Hospital delivery and prenatal care should be made a priority, and mothers should be encouraged to adopt higher birth intervals.

Relationship between seroprevanlence of Helicobacter pylori infection and childhood breastfeeding duration

Background: Helicobacter pylori (HP), the main reason caused digestive disease in many people. Objectives: To explore the relationship between seroprevalence of HP in children and the duration of breastfeeding (BF) in childhood. Subjects and method:Data on BF duration were collected, using a structured questionnaires, then analyzed by logistic regression, in three different groups: (1) 764 children aged from 6 months to 15 years admitted to or visiting a tertiary teaching hospital, (2) 369 children under 18 from a rural village in the centre and (3) 408 children under 18 from a multi - ethnic village in the mountainous area of the northern part of Vietnam. HP infection was determined by ELISA technique. Results: HP seroprevalence was of 26.0% (69/265) in children breastfed longer than 6 months, significant lower than 37.4% (308/556) in children breastfed shorter than 6 months in the first group [p<0.02, OR (95% CI): 0.63 (0.41 - 0.84)]. This rate was of 39.7% (27/68) in children breastfed longer than 24 months, significant lower than 59.1 % (178/301) in children breastfed shorter than 24 months in the second group [p=0.01, OR (95% CI): 0.46 (0.27 - 0.78)]. However, in the 3rd group of different minority ethnics from mountainous area, where living and hygiene levels were low, HP seroprevalence was of 29.7% (82/276), significant higher than 20.5% (27/132) in children breastfed shorter than 12 months [p = 0.03, OR (95% CI): 1.64 (1.00 - 2.70)]. Conclusion: Long duration of breastfeeding seemed protective against HP acquisition in Kinh children but might become a risk factor for HP infection in mountainous children.