Inappropriate Infant Bottle Feeding

Resident’s Name: Anna Haritos Date: October 16, 2008
Article title: Inappropriate Infant Bottle Feeding
Author(s): Kaste, Linda M & Gift, Helen C
Journal: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med
Volume (number): 149
Month, Year: July 1995
Major topic: bottle feeding habits in the US
Minor topic(s): n/a
Type of Article: retrospective analysis
Main Purpose: to describe bottle-feeding practices and the factors associated with this practice, based on data from the 1991 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Child Health Supplement.
Overview of method of research: NHIS Child Supplement data was reviewed and answers to questions related to inappropriate feeding practices were analyzed to determine prevalence of such habits. The supplement provided a sample size of 5662 children aged 6 months to 5 years.
Findings: Of the US children, aged 6 months to 5 years: 95% have been fed with a bottle containing substances other than water; 16.7% (3.5 million) are put to sleep at bedtime or naptime with a bottle containing substances other than water. Inappropriate feeding practices are more common in younger children and are seen in 26.5% of Hispanic children, 25.8% of children whose parents have less than a high school education, and 21% of children in families below poverty level. The good news is that education of the adult responsible for feeding is inversely associated with inappropriate feeding behavior.
Key points/Summary: Primary risk practices for ECC include: frequent or prolonged use of baby bottles containing a fermentable liquid (this can be during the day or night), continued use of a sweetened pacifier, at-will breast-feeding, and duration of bottle use. This article also highlights additional risk factors of poverty, low-level education, and region of the country (South and West); Interesting point – one state amended day-care licensing rules to prohibit non-water bottle feeding except at regular feeding times!
Assessment of article: very useful data; it would be interesting to see how the data has shifted for better or worse since this review. My favorite quote: “The age at which children first go to an oral health care professional may be after early childhood caries have occurred, too late for prevention strategies to be implemented. Therefore, all health care professionals and gatekeepers must provide advice, counseling, and follow-up for parents and other caregivers.”