Determinants of acute otitis media in infants

ABSTRACT

To describe the relationship of acute otitis media with mode of feeding [bottle-or breast-fed] and with different positions of infant during feeding. Study dcsignCase control study. Babies aged up to 24 months [62 cases, 66 controls] were selected from the OPD of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and the Aga Khan Hospital, Karachi. The variables considered were the gender of the infant, mother's educational level and occupation, mode of feeding and the different positions during feeding. SPSS version 11.5 was used for descriptive and inferential analysis. There was a significant association of otitis media with lying position of baby during feeding [OR 37.7, 95% CII 3,34106.43, p< 0.001]. bottle feeding [OR 3.0. 95%CI I .43-6.25, p=0.003], working mother [OR 3.8, 95% Cl 1.3810.34. p=0.007] and education of mother [OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.01.4.24, p=0.044]. Babies with acute otitis media were more likely to be bottle fed and having a lying posture during the feeding than babies without having acute otitis media