RELATION BETWEEN INFANT-FEEDING AND INFECTIONS DURING THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF LIFE

We assessed the effect of the method of feeding on respiratory and gas trointestinal illnesses during the first 6 months of life among 776 in fants born in New Brunswick, Canada, During a 1-year period, these inf ants were drawn from the offspring of a population of primiparous wome n in the province who, after at least 36 weeks of pregnancy, gave birt h to one normal infant weighing 2500 gm or more. Data were collected b y means of a self-administered standardized questionnaire mailed to ev ery mother a week before her infant reached 6 months of age. The crude incidence density ratio (IDR) revealed a protective effect of breast- feeding on respiratory illnesses (IDR = 0.66; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.52 to 0.83), on gastrointestinal illnesses (IDR = 0.53; 95% CI , 0.27 to 1.04) and on all illnesses (IDR = 0.67; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.82 ). The protective effect of breast-feeding on respiratory illnesses pe rsisted even after adjustment for age of the infant, socioeconomic cla ss, maternal age, and cigarette consumption (adjusted IDR = 0.78; 95% CI, 0.61 to 1.00), Moreover, if we distinguished ear infection from ot her respiratory illnesses, we observed a separate protective effect fo r these two types of events. The results of this retrospective cohort study suggest a protective effect of breast-feeding in our population during the first 6 months of life.