Breastfeeding, bottle-feeding and mixed-feeding in relation to morbidity among infants: A cross-sectional study
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Background: Breastfeeding can lower the risk of morbidity and mortality of infants. However, more work is needed to compare different types of feeding in relation to morbidity among infants, especially in developing countries.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2020 to March 2021. A total of 300 mothers having infants of less than 6 months old were recruited and completed a questionnaire which were constructed for objectives acheivement.
Results: Upper and lower respiratory tract infection, wheezing and diarrhea were the major morbidity among infants. When comparing with breastfeeding group, infants in bottle-feeding and mixed-feeding groups were 3.1 and 4.2 times more likely to have upper respiratory tract infection, 3.9 and 4.4 times more likely to have lower respiratory tract infection, 3.2 and 4.0 times more likely to have wheezing. Bottle-feeding groups were more likely to have diarrhea 3.5 times as compared with other groups. Conclusion: There was a significant association between different types of feeding and morbidities among infants who had bottle-feeding and mixed feeding who were more vulnerable to diseases, when compared with infants who had exclusive breastfeeding.
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