NR 503 Week 3 Discussion: Epidemiological Methods and Measurements.
Breastfeeding has always been encouraged over the years as the benefits of its
... [Show More] nutrition is vast compared to formula nourishment. In the state of Florida, breastfeeding rates have increased however more support is needed especially when it comes to breastfeeding in public or private locations. The research articles that are being reviewed are about the benefits of longer breastfeeding compared to formula feeding for newborns and infants. Two studies will be discussed Longer durations of both exclusive and mixed breastfeeding are associated with better health in infants and toddlers and Randomized Trial of Introduction of Allergenic Foods in Breast-Fed Infants.
1. The titled of the article Longer durations of both exclusive and mixed breastfeeding are associated with better health in infants and toddlers was published in 2019. The main goal of the research was to investigate the positive correlation between a longer period for breastfeeding and better health outcomes from birth to 36 months (Issa et al., 2019). The research was performed because of numerous controversial results from previous studies some showed that there is a strong affiliation between breastfeeding and better health outcomes. Other studies suggest there was no difference in health outcomes based on breastfeeding versus formula feeding. In a study entitled Randomized Trial of Introduction of Allergenic Foods in Breast-Fed Infants, published in 2016 main objective was to determine whether early introduction of allergenic foods in the diet of breast-fed infants would protect against the development of food allergy (Perkin et al., 2016). The objectives of the studies where easily identified, as it was about the benefits of breastfeeding
2. The research, Longer durations of both exclusive and mixed breastfeeding are associated with better health in infants and toddlers, uses a cross-sectional study. A cross-sectional study is a descriptive study that explores the relationships between disease and other variables about a specific population at a certain time (Curley & Vitale, 2016). This study differs from a randomized control trial design, which was the design of the second article chosen for this week’s assignment. Randomized control trials are useful for evaluating treatments and for assessing new ways of organizing and delivering health services (Curley & Vitale, 2016). However, when used population-based studies, the problem is often health promotion and disease prevention rather than treatment of an existing disease (Curley & Vitale, 2016). In a cross-sectional study, the exposures and outcomes are measured at the same time while with a randomized control trial the population is more controlled.
3. For the study, Longer durations of both exclusive and mixed breastfeeding are associated with better health in infants and toddlers, participant were women who had attended at least one breastfeeding education and counseling seminar between the years of 2010 and 2014 in Beirut, Lebanon. A total of 561 women were contacted via telephone to update their email address and obtain consent for the survey. Questionnaires were then emailed to mothers but those who were excluded from the research were those who did not have a valid telephone number or email address, health professionals, and single women. A total of 270 women answered the questionnaire. there a very low possibility of bias selection. For the study, Randomized Trial of Introduction of Allergenic Foods in Breast-Fed Infant, participants were recruited from the general population, between 2009 to 2012 from England and Wales. They were assigned by an independent online service. Approximately 303 exclusively breast-fed infants who were 3 months of age and randomly assigned them to the early introduction of six allergenic foods. These include peanut, cooked egg, cow’s milk, sesame, whitefish, and wheat. No selection bias occurs when the participants selected.
4. Data was collected through questionnaires, for the study, Longer durations of both exclusive and mixed breastfeeding are associated with better health in infants and toddlers. This includes information about the toddler, sociodemographic characteristics of each parent, unhealthy behaviors during pregnancy and lactation, complementary feeding practices, and information on the toddler’s health from birth to 36 months (Issa et al., 2019). A questionnaire was also used to collect data for Randomized Trial of Introduction of Allergenic Foods in Breast-Fed Infant. The questionnaire recorded the frequency of consumption of allergenic foods in the two groups.
5. The variables were clearly defined for both studies. For the study, Longer durations of both exclusive and mixed breastfeeding are associated with better health in infants and toddlers, the variables are listed the be the duration of exclusive breastfeeding considering the age of introduction of formula, food or liquids, and the number of occurrences of health complaints by age group.
6. For the first study data were analyzed using SPSS. There are several statistics available within the research, but the ones which are most significant to the topic of health outcomes and breastfeeding includes every month of breastfeeding decreased the odds of obesity by 26-30% and every month of breastfeeding was associated with 23% lower occurrence of UTIs (Issa et al., 2019). The second study was analyzed with a chi-square test, as appropriate. The trial had 80% power at the 5% significance level to detect a halving of the prevalence of food allergy, from 8% in the standard-introduction group to 4% in the early-introduction group (Perkin et al., 2016)
7. There were a few limitations and weaknesses to the first research. Due to the cross-sectional design, there is no possibility of a prospective follow-up. It was also announced that due to such a small sample size, the test results may have been underpowered.
8. The study entitled Longer durations of both exclusive and mixed breastfeeding are associated with better health in infants and toddlers, states extending the duration of exclusive breastfeeding is associated with a decrease in the risk of recurrent illnesses and improves overall health in infants and toddlers. It is recommended that communities improve breastfeeding counseling and education, raise awareness, and promote a supportive environment for women to breastfeed. The results for Randomized Trial of Introduction of Allergenic Foods in Breast-Fed Infant, the trial did not show the efficacy of early introduction of allergenic foods in an intention to treat analysis. Further analysis raised the question of whether the prevention of food allergy using the early introduction of multiple allergenic foods was dose dependent.
References
Curley, L. A., & Vitale, A. P. (2016). Population-based nursing: Concepts and competencies for advanced practice (2 ed.). Springer Publishing Company.
Issa, C., Hobeika, M., Hobeika, P., Zeidan, R., & Mattar, L. (2019). Longer durations of both exclusive and mixed breastfeeding are associated with better health in infants and toddlers. Breastfeeding Review, 27(2), 17–27. https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=04e66a27-9bfe-41b5-904f-2943ac4cb86c%40sdc-v-sessmgr02
Perkin, M., Logan, K., Tseng, A., Bunmi, A., & Ayis, S. (2016). Randomized trial of introduction of allergenic food in breast-fed infants. The New England Journal of Medicine, 374(18), 1733–1743. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1514210 [Show Less]