Growth of breast-fed infants deviates from current reference data: A pooled analysis of US, Canadian, and European data sets
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Objective: To compare growth patterns of a large sample of breast-fed infants with the current World Health Organization (WHO)/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reference data.
Methods: Data from seven longitudinal studies of infant growth in North America and northern Europe were pooled (n = 453 breast-fed infants). Weight, length and head circumference were compared with the WHO/CDC reference, and repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to examine associations between growth patterns and breast-feeding duration, age of introduction of solid foods, and use of other milks.
Results: In comparison with WHO/CDC reference data, infants breast-fed for at least 12 months (n = 226) grew more rapidly in the first 2 months and less rapidly (particularly in weight) from 3 to 12 months; the mean z score at 12 months was -0.53 for weight for age, -0.29 for length for age, and -0.32 for weight for length. In contrast, mean head circumference was well above the WHO/CDC median throughout the first year of life. These patterns were generally consistent across studies. In the full sample (n = 453), a longer duration of breast-feeding was associated with a greater decline in weight for age and weight for length but not length for age.
Conclusion: These results suggest that if growth charts are to reflect patterns consistent with those of infants following WHO feeding recommendations, new reference data based on breast-fed infants are needed.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Pediatrics |
Volume | 96 |
Issue number | 3 I |
Pages (from-to) | 495-503 |
Number of pages | 9 |
ISSN | 0031-4005 |
Publication status | Published - 1995 |
- Anthropometry, Breast-feeding, Growth monitoring, Growth references, Infant feeding practices, Recumbent length, Weight
Research areas
ID: 257087053