Association of breast feeding practices by birth weight in infants from rural Haryana, North India
| Number of infants with outcome of interest (%) | Total number of infants† | Univariable | Multivariable‡ | PAR (%) | |
| RR (95% CI) | RR (95% CI) | ||||
| Delayed initiation of breast feeding (BF; initiated after 1 hour of birth) | |||||
| Total number | – | 40 878 | |||
| Birth weight (g) | |||||
| ≥2500 | 19 906 (64.0) | 31 090 (76.1) | Ref | Ref | – |
| <2500 | 6457 (65.9) | 9788 (23.9) | 1.03 (1.01 to 1.05) | 1.03 (1.01 to 1.06)* | 0.71 |
| 2000–2499 | 5685 (65.7) | 8654 (21.2) | 1.03 (1.01 to 1.05) | 1.04 (1.01 to 1.06)* | 0.84 |
| <2000 | 772 (68.1) | 1134 (2.7) | 1.06 (1.02 to 1.11) | 1.07 (1.03 to 1.15)* | 0.19 |
| Breast feeding after 24 hours of birth | |||||
| Total number | – | 40 878 | |||
| Birth weight (g) | |||||
| ≥2500 | 1002 (3.2) | 31 090 (76.1) | Ref | Ref | – |
| <2500 | 497 (5.1) | 9788 (23.9) | 1.59 (1.41 to 1.74) | 1.64 (1.45 to 1.81)* | 13.3 |
| 2000–2499 | 413 (4.8) | 8654 (21.2) | 1.49 (1.32 to 1.65) | 1.55 (1.37 to 1.73)* | 10.4 |
| <2000 | 84 (7.4) | 1134 (2.7) | 2.31 (1.85 to 2.84) | 2.43 (1.91 to 3.07)* | 3.7 |
| Non-exclusive breast feeding at 1 month | |||||
| Total number | – | 43 656 | |||
| Birth weight (g) | |||||
| ≥2500 | 20 491 (61.1) | 33 541 (76.8) | Ref | Ref | – |
| <2500 | 6446 (63.7) | 10 115 (23.2) | 1.04 (1.03 to 1.07) | 1.03 (0.99 to 1.05) | 0.69 |
| 2000–2499 | 5709 (63.1) | 9042 (20.7) | 1.03 (1.02 to 1.05) | 1.02 (0.98 to 1.05) | 0.41 |
| <2000 | 737 (68.7) | 1073 (2.5) | 1.12 (1.08 to 1.17) | 1.07 (1.02 to 1.15)* | 0.17 |
| Non-exclusive breast feeding at 3 months | |||||
| Total number | – | 42 628 | |||
| Birth weight (g) | |||||
| ≥2500 | 25 401 (77.2) | 32 877 (77.1) | Ref | Ref | – |
| <2500 | 7630 (78.2) | 9751 (22.9) | 1.01 (1.00 to 1.03) | 1.01 (0.98 to 1.03) | 0.22 |
| 2000–2499 | 6793 (77.5) | 8759 (20.6) | 1.00 (0.98 to 1.02) | 1.02 (0.97 to 1.06) | 0.41 |
| <2000 | 837 (84.4) | 992 (2.3) | 1.09 (1.07 to 1.13) | 1.08 (1.03 to 1.14)* | 0.17 |
| No breast feeding at 6 months | |||||
| Total number | – | 42 392 | |||
| Birth weight (g) | |||||
| ≥2500 | 1936 (5.91) | 32 744 (77.2) | Ref | Ref | – |
| <2500 | 778 (8.06) | 9648 (22.8) | 1.36 (1.26 to 1.49) | 1.34 (1.23 to 1.46)* | 7.2 |
| 2000–2499 | 682 (7.86) | 8676 (20.5) | 1.33 (1.22 to 1.45) | 1.32 (1.21 to 1.45)* | 6.1 |
| <2000 | 96 (9.87) | 972 (2.3) | 1.67 (1.37 to 2.03) | 1.49 (1.20 to 1.86)* | 1.1 |
| No breast feeding at 12 months | |||||
| Total number | – | 42 492 | |||
| Birth weight (g) | |||||
| ≥2500 | 4776 (14.5) | 32 883 (77.4) | Ref | Ref | – |
| <2500 | 1791 (18.6) | 9609 (22.6) | 1.28 (1.22 to 1.35) | 1.24 (1.18 to 1.30)* | 5.1 |
| 2000–2499 | 1572 (18.2) | 8642 (20.3) | 1.26 (1.19 to 1.32) | 1.23 (1.16 to 1.30)* | 4.5 |
| <2000 | 219 (22.7) | 967 (2.3) | 1.57 (1.37 to 1.78) | 1.36 (1.18 to 1.56)* | 0.8 |
*Statistical significance at p<0.05.
†Denotes the total number of infants for which desired breast feeding information was available.
‡Adjusted for place of delivery, type of delivery, multiple births, mother’s education, mother’s age, religion, caste, wealth quintiles, parity, infant sex, administration of vitamin A (intervention in the primary trial).
PAR, population attributable risk; RR, relative risk.