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Breast feeding and growth in western Kenyan toddlers

The value of post-infancy breast feeding for growth and nutrition has been the subject of debate and controversy. We followed a cohort of 264 western Kenyan children for six months prospectively (mean age 14 months at baseline) to investigate the influence of breast. feeding on growth. Only 14 (5%) children had been weaned by enrolment, and 173 (66%) were still breast feeding at follow-up. For analysis, children were classified into three groups of breast feeding duration as a proportion of the study: 0--49% (n = 42), 50--99% (n = 49), and 100% (n = 173). General Linear Models procedures were used for multivariate analysis. Adjusted means showed that children in the longest breast feeding group gained 3.4 cm (p < 0.001) and 360 g (p < 0.01) more than those in the shortest breast feeding group, and 0.7 cm and 230 g (p < 0.05) more than children in the intermediate group. The greatest benefits of breast feeding for linear growth were observed in households that had no latrine and whose water consumption was below 10 L/person/day. Our results support the recommendation that children in developing countries be breast-fed for at least two years.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.35037
Date January 1998
CreatorsOnyango, Adelheid Werimo.
ContributorsReceveur, Olivier (advisor), Esrey, Steven (advisor)
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageDoctor of Philosophy (School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition.)
RightsAll items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
Relationalephsysno: 001610476, proquestno: NQ44542, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

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