Breastfeeding and impact on childhood hospital admissions: a nationwide birth cohort in South Korea

Jeong-Seon Lee, Jae Il Shin, Sunyeup Kim, Yong-Sung Choi, Youn Ho Shin, Jimin Hwang, Jung U Shin, Ai Koyanagi, Louis Jacob, Lee Smith, Han Eol Jeong, Yunha Noh, In-Sun Oh, Sang Youl Rhee, Chanyang Min, Seong Ho Cho, Steve Turner, Guillaume Fond, Laurent Boyer, Dong In Suh, Krishna Prasad Acharya, Ju-Young Shin (), Seung Won Lee () and Dong Keon Yon ()
Additional contact information
Jeong-Seon Lee: Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Soonchunhyang University School of Medicine
Jae Il Shin: Yonsei University College of Medicine
Sunyeup Kim: Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine
Yong-Sung Choi: Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine
Youn Ho Shin: The Catholic University of Korea, Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital
Jimin Hwang: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Jung U Shin: CHA University School of Medicine
Ai Koyanagi: Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, CIBERSAM, ISCIII
Louis Jacob: Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, CIBERSAM, ISCIII
Lee Smith: Anglia Ruskin University
Han Eol Jeong: Sungkyunkwan University
Yunha Noh: Sungkyunkwan University
In-Sun Oh: Sungkyunkwan University
Sang Youl Rhee: Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine
Chanyang Min: Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine
Seong Ho Cho: University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine
Steve Turner: Maternity and Child Health Division, NHS Grampian
Guillaume Fond: Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Marseille, Aix-Marseille University
Laurent Boyer: Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Marseille, Aix-Marseille University
Dong In Suh: Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine
Krishna Prasad Acharya: Animal Quarantine Office Kathmandu
Ju-Young Shin: Sungkyunkwan University
Seung Won Lee: Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine
Dong Keon Yon: Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Benefits of breastfeeding for both the mother and the child are well established, but a comprehensive and robust study to investigate the protective effect of breastfeeding and attenuated time effect stratified by cause of morbidity are lacking. This study is based on the nationwide birth cohort in Korea that includes data on all infants born from 2009 to 2015. Of 1,608,540 children, the median follow-up period was 8.41 years (interquartile range, 6.76-10.06). When compared to children with fully formula feeding, the hospital admission rate was 12% lower in those with partially breastfeeding and 15% lower in those with exclusive breastfeeding. The apparent protective effect of breastfeeding was reduced with increasing age. Our study provides potential evidence of the beneficial association of breastfeeding on subsequent hospital admissions. The protective effect declined over time as the children grew older. Encouraging any breastfeeding for at least the first 6 months among infants is an important public health strategy to improve overall child health.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41516-y

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