Factors Associated with Duration and Exclusivity of Breastfeeding and Its Impact on The Prevention of Respiratory Diseases During Infancy

Abstract

Upper respiratory infections are the leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality in our environment. The National Health Organization recommends that all infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. The aim of our work is to know the pattern of breastfeeding in our environment and its influence on the incidence of acute respiratory infections in infants in the first months of life. A representative sample of 2793 children under 6 months of age from the National Health and Nutrition Survey 2018 (ENSANUT) was used. A binary logistic linear regression model was used where Odds Ratio (OR) with their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated for each of the independent variables. Our results show that those children who were exclusively breastfed showed a greater protective factor against acute respiratory infections compared to those children who were not exclusively breastfed. That is, our results show that exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life increased 2-fold (OR= 2.01; CI=1.91-2.17) the probability of not suffering from respiratory diseases. This result is statistically significant (p<0.05). It was also shown that those infants who received breast milk earlier from the time of birth have greater protection or developed greater immunity to upper respiratory tract infections (OR= 1.65; CI=1.41-1.94). Other significant protective factors are mother's age, mother's educational level and mother's area of residence. Breastfeeding is a protective factor against infections affecting the upper respiratory tract during the first 6 months of life. Therefore, our results coincide with several investigations that establish the potent immunomodulatory value of milk, which provides the infant with nutrients, precursors, probiotics, antimicrobial factors and anti-inflammatory agents, necessary for immune maturation and therefore reducing the incidence and severity of infectious diseases, and consequently infant morbidity and mortality.