The Effects of Breastfeeding Duration on the Frequency of Upper Respiratory Tract Infection in the Advancing Years of Life

Abstract

Background-Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the antibiotic use rates, breastfeeding duration in children aged 24-72 months and the frequency of upper respiratory tract infections in the advancing years of life. Methods: It was interviewed through face to face survey method with the parents of 283 children, who applied to Istanbul Province Okmeydani Training-Research Hospital and Bingöl-Adakli District Integrated Hospital between the dates of May and July 2014. Results: It was determined that children of highly educated mothers had fewer infections and were breastfed for a longer time. The annual numbers of infections had by the children evaluated under this study, and the boxes of antibiotics used are respectively 4.6+2.4 and 3.0+1.8 in average. Children who had 8 times or more infections annually were accepted as the ones frequently having infections, and two groups were created. The average breastfeeding duration in frequent infections was 10.9+8.8 months, while it was 15.8+7.0 months for children that had infections occasionally (p<0,005). The possibility of having infection was increasing 17 times when mother and father were both smokers (OR: 17.2; p<0,0001). Conclusion: It was determined that long-term breastfed children had fewer infections in the advancing years of their lives; mother's education level affected the breastfeeding duration and the incidence of infections, and children with smoker parents had more infections.

Exclusive Breastfeeding and Decrease of Upper respiratory Infection Incidence among Infants Aged 6-12 Months in Kampar District, Riau Province

“…This result is the same as the previous studies that emphasized the importance of promoting exclusive breastfeeding to infants until the age 6 months. 11,12,13 The results of this study show that an improvement program for breastfeeding practice is needed, with priorities focused on exclusive breastfeeding and URI disease handling because of its huge impact toward infants' health. Breast milk has elements that meet all the infant's needs of nutrients during a period of about six months unless the mother suffers from a heavy undernourished condition and the breast milk composition changes along with the infant's needs.…”