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Micronutrient intake and feeding behaviors associated with better growth differ for breastfed (BF) and non‐breastfed (NBF) infants in peri‐urban Philippines
Author(s) -
Acuin Cecilia Santos,
Habicht JeanPierre,
Pelto Gretel
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.5.a676-b
Subject(s) - micronutrient , anthropometry , breastfeeding , nutrient , breast feeding , medicine , breast milk , zoology , environmental health , food science , biology , pediatrics , demography , ecology , biochemistry , pathology , sociology
The relationship of growth increment from 6 to 11 mos to dietary intake & feeding behaviors was examined in a sample of 250 infants in poor peri‐urban metro‐Manila households. Monthly 24‐hour food recalls were converted to nutrient values using Philippine Food Composition Tables; anthropometric measures were analyzed using new WHO reference standards. Growth increment was expressed as difference between weight‐for‐age z scores (WAZ) at 6 & 11 months. Mean WAZ among BF (n=118) infants significantly declined (t=−10.01, p<0.001) but remained essentially unchanged for NBF (n=132; t=−1.25, p=0.212). Caloric intake was significantly associated with growth for both (BF, p<0.01; NBF, p=0.02), but micronutrients & feeding behaviors associated with growth differed. For BF zinc intake, giving rice water & chocolate milk was associated with better growth; higher vit C & adding sugars to other foods marked poor growth. For NBF, better growth was marked by higher folate & giving eggs; poor growth by giving sweets. These differences indicate that complementary feeding patterns were substantially different between BF & NBF. On average, mothers of BF need to add more energy to child diet, while avoiding low nutrient dense foods is a priority for NBF. Results highlight the importance of tailoring counseling advice by breastfeeding status to reduce growth faltering in the 2nd semester of life.