Cohen R, Mrtek M B, Mrtek R G
University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
Am J Health Promot. 1995 Nov-Dec;10(2):148-53. doi: 10.4278/0890-1171-10.2.148.
A comparison was made between breast-feeding and formula-feeding among employed mothers. Absenteeism directly related to child care was examined.
This quasi-experimental study followed convenience samples of breast-feeding and formula-feeding mothers until their infants were weaned or reached 1 year of age.
Two corporations with established lactation programs were used. One had approximately 100 births annually among 2400 female employees, and the other had approximately 30 births annually among 1200 female employees.
A sample of 101 participants, 59 feeding breast milk and 42 using commercial formula, was composed of employees returning from maternity leave for a medically uncomplicated birth.
The programs provided counseling by a lactation professional for all participants and facilities to collect and store breast milk.
Confidential participant diaries provided descriptive data on infant illnesses and related absenteeism that the lactation consultant verified with health care providers and through employer attendance records.
Attribute counts of illnesses and absenteeism were reported as percentages. Single degree of freedom chi square tests were used to compare rates between nutrition groups.
Approximately 28% of the infants in the study had no illnesses; 86% of these were breast-fed and 14% were formula-fed. When illnesses occurred, 25% of all 1-day maternal absences were among breast-fed babies and 75% were among the formula-fed group.
In this study fewer and less severe infant illnesses and less maternal absenteeism was found in the breast-feeding group. This was not an experimental study. Participants were self-selected, and a comparison group was used rather than a true control group. Corroboration of these findings from larger experimental studies is needed to generalize beyond these groups.
对职业母亲中母乳喂养和配方奶喂养的情况进行比较。研究与照顾孩子直接相关的缺勤情况。
这项准实验研究跟踪了母乳喂养和配方奶喂养母亲的便利样本，直至其婴儿断奶或满1岁。
使用了两家设有哺乳项目的公司。一家公司每年2400名女性员工中约有100例分娩，另一家公司每年1200名女性员工中约有30例分娩。
101名参与者组成的样本，其中59名母乳喂养，42名使用商业配方奶，均为产假后因顺产且无并发症而返回工作岗位的员工。
这些项目为所有参与者提供了由哺乳专业人员进行的咨询服务，以及收集和储存母乳的设施。
参与者的保密日记提供了关于婴儿疾病和相关缺勤的描述性数据，哺乳顾问通过与医疗服务提供者核实以及雇主出勤记录进行验证。
疾病和缺勤的属性计数以百分比形式报告。使用单自由度卡方检验比较营养组之间的比率。
研究中约28%的婴儿未患病；其中86%为母乳喂养，14%为配方奶喂养。当婴儿患病时，所有1天的母亲缺勤中，25%发生在母乳喂养婴儿的母亲中，75%发生在配方奶喂养婴儿的母亲中。
在本研究中，母乳喂养组婴儿患病数量更少、病情更轻，母亲缺勤也更少。这不是一项实验性研究。参与者是自我选择的，使用的是比较组而非真正的对照组。需要来自更大规模实验性研究的这些结果的佐证，才能推广到这些群体之外。
