Effect of breastfeeding and sociodemographic factors on visual outcome in childhood and adolescence.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that early life factors, including breastfeeding and birth weight, program childhood myopia. OBJECTIVE: We examined the relation of reduced unaided vision (indicative of myopia) in childhood and adolescence with infant feeding, parental education, maternal age at birth, birth weight, sex, birth order, and socioeconomic status. DESIGN: Three British cohorts recruited infants born in 1946 (n = 5362), 1958 (n = 18,558), and 1970 (n = 16,567). Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for unaided vision of 6/12 or worse at ages 10-11 and 15-16 y from each cohort were pooled by using fixed-effects meta-analyses. RESULTS: The prevalence of reduced vision ranged from 4.4% to 6.5% at 10-11 y and from 9.4% to 11.4% at 16 y, with marginally higher levels in later cohorts. Breastfeeding declined across successive cohorts (65%, 43%, and 22% in those breastfed for >1 mo, respectively). Pooled ORs showed no associations between infant feeding and vision after adjustment at either age. Parental education (OR: 1.48, high versus low education; 95% CI: 1.23, 1.79), maternal age (OR: 1.10, per 5-y increase; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.17), birth weight (OR: 0.85, per 1-kg rise; 95% CI: 0.76, 0.95), number of older siblings (OR: 0.89, per older sibling; 95% CI: 0.83, 0.94), and sex (OR: 1.10, girls versus boys; 95% CI: 0.98, 1.23) were related to adverse visual outcome in childhood. Stronger associations were observed in adolescence, except that the association with birth weight was null. CONCLUSIONS: Infant feeding does not appear to influence visual development. Consistent associations of reduced vision with parental education, sex, maternal age, and birth order suggest that other environmental factors are important for visual development and myopia in early life.

Author information

Author/s: Rudnicka, Alicja R (AR); Owen, Christopher G (CG); Richards, Marcus (M); Wadsworth, Michael E J (ME); Strachan, David P (DP);

Affiliation: Division of Community Health Sciences, St George's, University of London, London, United Kingdom. arudnick(-atsign-)sgul.ac.uk

Grants: G0000934 (Agency:Medical Research Council) ; PG/04/072 (Agency:British Heart Foundation)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: The American journal of clinical nutrition (Am J Clin Nutr), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-May; vol 87 (issue 5) : pp 1392-9

Dates: Created 2008/05/12; Completed 2008/06/11; Revised 2009/05/15;

PMID: 18469263, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 5/15/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 May;87(5):1120. (PMID: 18469228)

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