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Breast-feeding may reduce risk for infection among indigenous infants
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Breast-feeding could significantly reduce otitis media infections, gastrointestinal infections, hospitalizations due to lower respiratory tract infections and the rate of sudden infant death syndrome among First Nations infants, according to a recent study.
According to previous data, First Nations children — or indigenous peoples of Canada — are disproportionately affected by gastrointestinal infection, lower respiratory tract infection and otitis media, as well as higher risks for SIDS. While the majority of Canadian mothers (87.4%) have initiated breast-feeding in recent years, fewer First Nations mothers (77.8%) reported doing so.
Kathyrn E. McIsaac
“WHO recommends infants receive exclusive breast-feeding to 6 months and continued breast-feeding with the addition of complementary foods to 2 years of age and beyond,” Kathyrn E. McIsaac, PhD, from the University of Toronto, and colleagues wrote. “The recommendation is substantiated by many short- and long-term benefits, including protection against SIDS, gastrointestinal infection, respiratory tract infection and otitis media.”
To determine the proportion of select infant infection and mortality outcomes that could be prevented if all First Nations infants were breast-fed, McIsaac and colleagues evaluated data from four published meta-analyses of studies in healthy, term infants living in developed countries, comparing any breast-feeding vs. no breast-feeding.
In addition, the researchers used the Canadian Community Health Survey and the First Nations Regional Health Survey, with a focus on breast-feeding initiation, to demonstrate its prevalence among Canadians.
Depending on whether First Nations infants lived off- or on-reservation, breast-feeding could prevent 5.1% to 10.6% cases of otitis media, 24.3% to 41.4% of gastrointestinal infections, 13.8% to 26.1% of hospitalizations from lower respiratory tract infections, and 12.9% to 24.6% cases of SIDS.
“One approach may be to promote breast-feeding to the women themselves,” McIsaac said in a press release. “However, we recommend shifting the bulk of the responsibility for failure to breast-feed away from the woman and onto the health care system, where hospitals and community-based health programs should take the lead.”
Although nonindigenous Canadian infants also would benefit from breast-feeding, the researchers assessed that proportionally fewer instances of otitis media (3.5%), gastrointestinal infection (17.8%), hospitalizations from lower respiratory tract infection (9.7%) and SIDS (9.1%) were preventable. – by Bob Stott
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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