Does breastfeeding protect children from asthma? analysis of NHANES III survey data

We sought to determine whether breastfeeding (yes/no) or its duration protects against the development of childhood asthma, its severity or age of onset. We conducted a secondary analysis of youth files of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (1988-94), and reviewed data from 6,7...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the National Medical Association 2001-04, Vol.93 (4), p.139-148
Main Authors: RUST, George S, THOMPSON, Corleen J, MINOR, Patrick, DAVIS-MITCHELL, Wendy, HOLLOWAY, Kelvin, MURRAY, Virgil
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Distribution
Age of Onset
Analysis of Variance
Asthma - diagnosis
Asthma - epidemiology
Biological and medical sciences
Breast Feeding - statistics & numerical data
Case-Control Studies
Child
Child, Preschool
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Health Surveys
Humans
Infant
Linear Models
Male
Medical sciences
Multivariate Analysis
Pneumology
Prevalence
Probability
Reference Values
Risk Assessment
Sensitivity and Specificity
Sex Distribution
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:We sought to determine whether breastfeeding (yes/no) or its duration protects against the development of childhood asthma, its severity or age of onset. We conducted a secondary analysis of youth files of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (1988-94), and reviewed data from 6,783 children age 2 months to 6 years (3,316 breastfed), excluding children with a history of low birth weight or treatment in a neonatal intensive care unit. Study participants were breastfed an average of 157 days. The average age at onset of asthma was 14.3 months. In the logistic regression model, "ever breast-fed" was not a significant protective factor for developing asthma. Significant predictive factors were the mother's age at child's birth (beta = -0.08, p < 0.01), and a parent having asthma or hayfever (beta = 0.46, p < 0.01). In the linear regression model, the duration of breastfeeding was not a predictor for age at onset of asthma (beta = 0.01, p = 0.53). Only maternal smoking during pregnancy was a significant predictor of age at onset of asthma (beta = -7.59, p < 0.01). Breastfeeding does not appear to prevent asthma, delay its onset, or reduce its severity. However, breastfeeding is still recommended for its many other benefits.
ISSN:0027-9684
1943-4693