Influence of breastfeeding type and maternal anemia on hemoglobin concentration in 6-month-old infants.

OBJECTIVE To verify the influence of breastfeeding type and of maternal anemia on hemoglobin concentration in 6-month-old infants. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study nested in a community-based, randomized and controlled intervention study that aimed to prolong the duration of exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months of life. This study was conducted in four towns in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco and newborn infants were recruited from March to August of 2001. The hemoglobin concentrations of 330 mothers and infants were assayed and type of breastfeeding was assessed 6 months after delivery. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to identify factors that independently contributed to the infants' hemoglobin concentration. RESULTS The type of feeding had no influence on the hemoglobin concentration in the sample as a whole, however, there was a significant difference when the "exclusive + predominant breastfeeding" subset of infants was analyzed, with the children of anemic mothers exhibiting a reduction of 0.7g/dL in median hemoglobin. Mothers' hemoglobin level, type of flooring at home, type of delivery, and birthweight all significantly contributed to the variation in the infants' hemoglobin concentration. CONCLUSIONS In contrast with type of breastfeeding, maternal anemia did have an influence on the hemoglobin levels of 6-month-old infants, even when only children on "exclusive + predominant breastfeeding" were analyzed. These findings highlight the need to prevent maternal anemia before conception, during pregnancy and throughout lactation.