PROLONGED BREAST-FEEDING - NO ASSOCIATION WITH INCREASED RISK OF CLINICAL MALNUTRITION IN YOUNG-CHILDREN IN BURKINA-FASO

Reported are our findings from a case-control study of the association between prolonged breastfeeding and clinical malnutrition in an urban setting in West Africa. The cases were children aged 12-36 months who had been hospitalized with a diagnosis of clinical malnutrition. Chil dren of a similar age who lived in neighbouring courtyards were recrui ted as controls. For 152 case-control pairs in which both children wer e receiving solid foods, non-breast-feeding was associated with an inc reased risk of clinical malnutrition (crude odds ratio = 2.37; 95% con fidence interval = 1.24, 4.55). This association remained statisticall y significant after controlling for various potentially confounding va riables (P = 0.03). Our findings suggest that either prolonged breast- feeding may offer substantial protection against clinical malnutrition in the study population or malnutrition leads mothers to stop breast- feeding. These results are inconsistent with those of a number of work ers who have reported that prolonged breastfeeding is associated with an increased risk of malnutrition. This inconsistency might have arise n because of differences in the definition of malnutrition used or bec ause of variations in the quantity and quality of weaning foods availa ble in different settings. We found no evidence to support the hypothe sis that prolonged breast-feeding may be detrimental to children.