Infant feeding and infant illness in a Micronesian village

Abstract

The 41 mothers of 49 infants resident in Peniyesene village, Truk, Micronesia, in 1976, were interviewed regarding their infant feeding practices and the types of illness their infants had experienced in the previous 2 years. Four-fifths of the infants received at least occasional bottlefeeding and nearly half of the infants were completely weaned from the breast before 6 months of age. Most mothers introduced semisolid foods in the first 6 months. The medical records for outpatient clinic visits and for admissions to the local hospital for these infants were also examined, and the occurrence of illness serious enough to warrant hospitalization was found to be associated with exclusive bottlefeeding in the first year of life.