Association of Breastfeeding and Childhood Asthma; A Case Control Study from Sialkot

Background: A rapid surge in air pollution is paralleled by a rapid rise in allergic respiratory disorders like asthma especially in vulnerable population like children. The only approach to curb this issue is to increase the protective post- natal exposures like breast feeding. Objective: To determine the association of breastfeeding and childhood asthma in children presenting in Pediatric Department of Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital, Sialkot. Methods: In this matched case-control study a calculated sample of 72 pairs of children aged 4-12 years were recruited through non probability purposive sampling after matching for gender, age, and socioeconomic characteristics. Data was collected on a structured questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 27. Odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for cases and controls to assess the association between breastfeeding and childhood asthma. p-value ≤0.05was considered significant. Results: The majority of participants (61%) were male with median age of 7.1 (IQR 3.8) years. Odds of having childhood asthma was 2.71(CI 1.23-5.997) times higher in children who were breastfed <12months. Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months was also found to be protective against childhood asthma OR 0.482(CI 0.248-0.936). Determinants of childhood asthma such as preterm birth, birth order, family history of asthma and associated allergies were significantly associated with an increased risk of childhood asthma. Conclusion: Study suggested that prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding significantly reduces the risk of asthma in children.