Burden of Disease Attributable to Suboptimal Breastfeeding in Iran during 1990-2010; Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010

Background: This study uses data of the global burden of diseases (GBD) study 2010 to report death, disability-adjusted life year (DALYs), years of life lived with disability (YLDs) and years of life lost due to premature mortality (YLLs), attributed to suboptimal breastfeeding by age and gender during 1990 to 2010 in Iran. Materials and Methods:The GBD assessments were used, together with estimates of death and DALYs due to specific risk factors to calculate the attributed burden of each risk factor exposure compared with the theoretical-minimum-risk exposure. Uncertainties in the distribution of exposure, relative risks, and relevant outcomes were incorporated into estimates of mortality attributable and burden and were presented as 95 % uncertainty interval (UI). Results:In both genders, the age standardized DALYs rates and the age standardized death rate [(from 5 (95% UI: 2-8) to 1 (95% UI: 0-2) per 100,000 populations], attributed to breastfeeding, had a decreasing trends. The age standardized YLD rate increased from 7 (95% UI: 2-15) to 10 (95% UI: 3-23) per 100,000 populations in boys and, from 7(95% UI: 2-16) to 11(95% UI: 3-26) per 100,000 populations in girls. The YLD changes showed some variation according to age categories. For both genders, the age standardizes YLL rate decreased from 395 (95% UI: 185-681) per 100,000 populations to 111(95% UI: 42-213) per 100,000 populations. Conclusion: The burden attributed to suboptimal breastfeeding had a considerable reduction rate from 1990 to 2010. Additional studies on burden of exclusive breastfeeding with more accurate data are recommended for policies make decision.