Association of the Type, Amount and Frequency of Milk Feeding with Anthropometric Growth Indicators in Infants

Rida Khan; Fatima Farooq; Afifa  Tanweer; Amina  Chughtai

doi:10.23751/pn.v24i1.11591

Association of the Type, Amount and Frequency of Milk Feeding with Anthropometric Growth Indicators in Infants

Authors

Rida Khan Department of Nutrition Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of Management and Technology
Fatima Farooq University Institute of Diet and Nutritional Sciences, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan.
Afifa Tanweer Department of Nutrition Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of Management and Technology
Amina Chughtai Department: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.

Keywords:

Breastfeeding, Stunting, Wasting, underweight, Growth Indicators, Z-Score

Abstract

Infant feeding practices during early days of life are considered crucial as they may have an impact on growth and development later in life. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 150 infants aged 0-4 months, in Lahore, Pakistan to find out the association between milk feeding practices and anthropometric growth indices. Data was collected through interviewer administered questionnaire for 24-hour dietary recall and WHO growth charts for anthropometric assessment. The average breastfeeding time for normal weight for length infants was significantly (p=0.014) higher (9.850±3.907) than wasted infants. Infants with normal length for age were breastfeed for significantly (p=0.009) longer time (9.768±3.993) as compared to stunted infants (8.000±3.045). Normal weight for age infants had significantly (p=0.015) shorter breastfeeding interval (83.767±37.228) as compared to underweight infants (103.750±25.527). Infant milk feeding practices was found to be linked to the nutritional status. Breastfed infants had better growth outcomes as compared to non-breastfed. Promotion of breastfeeding practices may warrant good nutritional status in infants and thus can be regarded as one of the strategies for tackling the short term and long-term burden of malnutrition.

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