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Breastfeeding and childhood acute otitis media: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Bowatte, G. Tham, R. Allen, K. J. Tan, D. J. Lau, M. X. Z. Dai, X. Lodge, C. J.
Bowatte, G.
Tham, R.
Allen, K. J.
Tan, D. J.
Lau, M. X. Z.
Dai, X.
Lodge, C. J.
Abstract
Aim: To synthesise the evidence on the association between duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding and the risk of acute otitis media (AOM). Methods: Systematic review and meta‐analysis following searching of PubMed, CINAHL and EMBASE electronic databases. Results: Twenty‐four studies, all from the USA or Europe, met the inclusion criteria. In the pooled analyses, any form of breastfeeding was found to be protective for AOM in the first 2 years of life. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months was associated with the greatest protection (OR 0.57 95% CI 0.44, 0.75), followed by ‘more vs less’ breastfeeding (OR 0.67; 0.59, 0.76) and ‘ever vs never’ breastfeeding (OR 0.67; 0.56, 0.80). Conclusion: This systematic review and meta‐analysis provides evidence that breastfeeding protects against AOM until 2 years of age, but protection is greater for exclusive breastfeeding and breastfeeding of longer duration. Exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months was associated with around a 43% reduction in ever having AOM in the first 2 years of life. After 2 years of age, there is no evidence that breastfeeding protects against AOM; however, there were few studies and the evidence quality was low.
Keywords
breastfeeding, child, formula feeding, otitis media
Date
2015
Type
Journal article
Journal
Acta Paediatrica
Book
Volume
104
Issue
467
Page Range
85-95
Article Number
ACU Department
Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Open access
License
CC BY-NC 4.0
File Access
Open