The effect of the type of feeding on weight gain and illnesses in infants

• Main Author: Dugdale, A.E.
• Format: Article
• Published: Cambridge University Press 1971
• Subjects: R Medicine
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/24465/; https://doi.org/10.1079/BJN19710047

1. The effects of breast-feeding and artificial feeding have been analysed for a group of 250 infants from lower socio-economic, urban families in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2. The factors considered were the ethnic group, the sex of the infant, the size and income of the family and the type of milk fed. No infant in the study was given ‘non-milk’ feeds before the age of 40 weeks. 3. The effects of these factors on the weight gains and the number of reported illnesses up to the age of 40 weeks have been analysed. 4. At no time in the first 40 weeks did breast-fed infants gain weight significantly more rapidly than artificially fed infants. After the age of 20 weeks, artificially fed infants gained significantly more weight than breast-fed infants. 5. The type of feeding had no statistically significant effect on the frequency of minor respiratory or alimentary illnesses. 6. In this community, the welfare of the family often depends on the earnings of the mother, who has to make the choice between breast-feeding and paid employment. In the group studied, breast-feeding appears to offer no advantages over artificial feeding. The principle guiding the Maternal and Child Health staff when advising the mother should be the welfare of the whole family. © 1971, The Nutrition Society. All rights reserved.