Predictors of early introduction of complementary feeding: Longitudinal study

Background Early introduction of complementary foods prior to 6 months of age may shorten breast-feeding duration and expose the infant to increased risk of morbidity and mortality. The aims of this study were to document the ages of complementary food introduction and to identify the determinants a...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tang, L., Lee, A., Binns, Colin
Format: Journal Article
Published: Blackwell Publishing 2015
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/19053
_version_ 1848749923676192768
author Tang, L.
Lee, A.
Binns, Colin
author_facet Tang, L.
Lee, A.
Binns, Colin
author_sort Tang, L.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Background Early introduction of complementary foods prior to 6 months of age may shorten breast-feeding duration and expose the infant to increased risk of morbidity and mortality. The aims of this study were to document the ages of complementary food introduction and to identify the determinants associated with early introduction of complementary feeding in Sichuan Province. Methods A prospective study on infant feeding practices was conducted during 2010-2011 in Jiangyou, China. A total of 695 mothers were recruited and interviewed at discharge. The follow-up interviews were carried out by telephone at 1, 3 and 6 months postpartum. Cox regression analysis was performed to determine factors related to early introduction of complementary feeding. Results The median age at start of complementary feeding was 4.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.4-4.6 months). Mothers who perceived that most of their friends breast-fed (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.70; 95%CI: 0.58-0.84) and those who returned to work when the infants were at least 6 months old were less likely to initiate complementary feeding early (adjusted HR, 0.73; 95%CI: 0.58-0.91), while infants who had been introduced to infant formula regularly before 6 months of age were at a higher risk of receiving complementary foods prematurely (adjusted HR, 1.81; 95%CI: 1.42-2.31). Conclusions Introducing complementary feeding before 6 months postpartum was widely practiced in Jiangyou. The appropriate age at which to introduce complementary foods and its benefits need to be emphasized in the future breast-feeding education strategies in Sichuan.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T07:28:39Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-19053
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T07:28:39Z
publishDate 2015
publisher Blackwell Publishing
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-190532017-09-13T13:46:03Z Predictors of early introduction of complementary feeding: Longitudinal study Tang, L. Lee, A. Binns, Colin Background Early introduction of complementary foods prior to 6 months of age may shorten breast-feeding duration and expose the infant to increased risk of morbidity and mortality. The aims of this study were to document the ages of complementary food introduction and to identify the determinants associated with early introduction of complementary feeding in Sichuan Province. Methods A prospective study on infant feeding practices was conducted during 2010-2011 in Jiangyou, China. A total of 695 mothers were recruited and interviewed at discharge. The follow-up interviews were carried out by telephone at 1, 3 and 6 months postpartum. Cox regression analysis was performed to determine factors related to early introduction of complementary feeding. Results The median age at start of complementary feeding was 4.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.4-4.6 months). Mothers who perceived that most of their friends breast-fed (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.70; 95%CI: 0.58-0.84) and those who returned to work when the infants were at least 6 months old were less likely to initiate complementary feeding early (adjusted HR, 0.73; 95%CI: 0.58-0.91), while infants who had been introduced to infant formula regularly before 6 months of age were at a higher risk of receiving complementary foods prematurely (adjusted HR, 1.81; 95%CI: 1.42-2.31). Conclusions Introducing complementary feeding before 6 months postpartum was widely practiced in Jiangyou. The appropriate age at which to introduce complementary foods and its benefits need to be emphasized in the future breast-feeding education strategies in Sichuan. 2015 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/19053 10.1111/ped.12421 Blackwell Publishing restricted
spellingShingle Tang, L.
Lee, A.
Binns, Colin
Predictors of early introduction of complementary feeding: Longitudinal study
title Predictors of early introduction of complementary feeding: Longitudinal study
title_full Predictors of early introduction of complementary feeding: Longitudinal study
title_fullStr Predictors of early introduction of complementary feeding: Longitudinal study
title_full_unstemmed Predictors of early introduction of complementary feeding: Longitudinal study
title_short Predictors of early introduction of complementary feeding: Longitudinal study
title_sort predictors of early introduction of complementary feeding: longitudinal study
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/19053