International Journal of Epidemiology, Vol 24, S21-S26, Copyright © 1995 by International Epidemiological Association
CD Florey, AM Leech and A Blackhall
OBJECTIVE. To determine the relationship between type of infant feeding and
mental and psychomotor development at age 18 months. METHOD. A follow-up
study of children born to primigravidae living in Dundee and booked into
antenatal clinics in the City of Dundee (Local Authority District) from 1
May 1985 to 30 April 1986. The study population was 846 first born
singletons, of whom 592 attended for developmental assessment at age 18
months. The main outcome measures were the Bayley Scales of Infant Mental
and Motor Development. RESULTS. Higher mental development was significantly
related to breast feeding on discharge from hospital and according to the
health visitors' notes at about 2 weeks after discharge after allowing for
partner's social class, mother's education, height, alcohol and cigarette
consumption; placental weight and the child's sex, birth weight and
gestational age at birth. After adjustment for statistically significant
variables, the difference in Bayley mental development index between breast
and bottle fed infants was between 3.7 and 5.7 units depending on the
source of feeding data. No differences were found for psychomotor
development or behaviour. CONCLUSION. The study provides further evidence
of a robust statistical association between type of feeding and child
intelligence. However, the literature is replete with suggestions for
potential confounding variables which offer alternative causal
explanations. To unravel what is an important clinical and public health
question, further research should concentrate on randomized trials of
supplemented formula feeds for children of mothers opting for bottle
feeding and on epidemiological studies designed to disentangle the relation
between method of feeding, parental intelligence and social environment.
ARTICLES
Infant feeding and mental and motor development at 18 months of age in first born singletons
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, UK.
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