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Infant Feeding Practices and Growth of Infants and Young Children: a Longitudinal Study in Rural Bangladesh
Author(s) -
Saha Kuntal Kumar,
Frongillo Edward A,
Alam Dewan S,
Arifeen Shams E,
Rasmussen Kathleen M
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.a99-a
Subject(s) - underweight , anthropometry , percentile , medicine , weight gain , weight for age , pediatrics , standard score , birth weight , demography , early childhood , growth chart , body weight , obesity , psychology , overweight , developmental psychology , biology , pregnancy , mathematics , endocrinology , sociology , statistics , genetics
To investigate the influence of infant feeding practices (IFP) on growth of infants and young children, we followed 1243 babies from birth to 24 mo of age who were born in the Maternal and Infant Nutrition Intervention in Matlab study. We created infant feeding scales from monthly feeding history from 1–12 mo of age based on current infant feeding recommendations. Measurements of weight and length were taken monthly in first year and quarterly in second year of life. Anthropometric indices were calculated using World Health Organization Multi‐centre Growth Reference Study child growth standard. Growth trajectories were modeled using a multilevel model for change. A lagged model was used to examine the effects of prior IFP on later growth. Mean birth weight was 2697 g; 30% weighed <2500 g. Means of body weight at 12 mo and 24 mo were 7.93 kg and 9.72 kg, respectively. IFP were positively associated (P <0.05) with weight gain and weight‐for‐age Z‐scores but not with length gain or length‐for‐age Z‐scores during 1–24 mo of age. Children who were in 25th percentile of the infant feeding scales differed (P <0.05) in both attained weight and the proportion who were underweight from those who were at the 75th percentile of these scales. We conclude that IFP were strongly associated with growth in weight but not length in this sample. These findings underscore the importance of following current infant feeding recommendations to ensure better growth during infancy and early childhood. Growth of this sample remained significantly forfeited even after following current feeding recommendations. (KKS was supported by a Fogarty‐NIH Training Grant (5 D43 TW001271) to KMR; data collection was supported by UNICEF and other partners).