(P10-044-24) Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Breastfeeding Promotion on Child Growth

Objectives: The impact of breastfeeding promotion on child growth is inconclusive. Previous meta-analyses suggest that breastfeeding promotion has no effects on child weight or length but is associated with a modest reduction in BMI. In updating the literature, this study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published within the last decade on the effects of breastfeeding promotion on child growth.

Methods: In March 2023, English and Spanish searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase. Article selection criteria included (1) randomized or quasi-experimental studies containing a breastfeeding promotion intervention with mothers and (2) at least one of the following growth indices as a primary outcome in children 0-2 years: height-for-age z-score (HAZ), weight-for-age z-score (WAZ), and standardized mean differences in child weight between intervention and control groups. Random-effects models were used to calculate combined effect sizes for each outcome.

Results: After screening 294 articles, a total of 25 articles constituted the final sample pool. Twelve articles were selected for preliminary data analysis using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. Eleven of these studies were conducted in low- and middle-income countries. The combined effect from the studies (n=5) reporting HAZ was 0.041 (95% CI: -0.085, 0.167) and from the studies (n=5) reporting WAZ was 0.048 (95% CI: -0.128, 0.224), meaning no effect of breastfeeding promotion on HAZ or WAZ in children under two. The combined effect from the studies (n=4) reporting child weight for children ages 6 to 24 months was 0.213 kg (95% CI: -0.032, 0.457), meaning that there was an effect of breastfeeding promotion on the weight of children. For all outcomes, there was no substantial heterogeneity among studies.

Conclusions: Breastfeeding promotion had no impacts on HAZ and WAZ for children ages 6 to 24 months but a small positive impact on child weight. Future meta-analyses should examine the impact of different types of breastfeeding (e.g., exclusive breastfeeding) to further understand effects on child growth.

Funding Sources: N/A