The global burden of childhood diarrheal diseases attributable to suboptimal breastfeeding from 1990 to 2021: an exploratory analysis of estimates from the global burden of disease study.

BACKGROUND

Understanding the spatial and temporal patterns of the disease burden of childhood diarrhea attributable to suboptimal breastfeeding (including non-exclusive and discontinued breastfeeding) is crucial for global health policy and intervention strategies. This study aimed to comprehensively assess the global, regional, and national burden of childhood diarrheal diseases attributable to suboptimal breastfeeding in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021.

METHODS

This study utilized data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 to estimate deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), and age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR) of childhood diarrheal diseases attributable to suboptimal breastfeeding. Suboptimal breastfeeding was assessed as a combination of non-exclusive breastfeeding and discontinued breastfeeding. And the average annual percentage change (AAPC) from 1990 to 2021 was calculated to determine long-term trends. Additionally, frontier analyses were conducted to evaluate the efficiency of different countries in reducing the disease burden relative to their socio-demographic index (SDI) levels.

RESULTS

By 2021, the global number of deaths and DALYs attributable to childhood diarrheal diseases due to suboptimal breastfeeding was 63,133 and 573,430, respectively. Between 1990 and 2021, the number of deaths and DALYs, as well as ASMR (AAPC: -5.40) and ASDR (AAPC: -5.38), declined by approximately 80%. However, significant disparities persist across regions. Low-SDI regions, particularly in Western Sub-Saharan Africa, continued to bear the highest disease burden. At the countries or territories level, Nigeria, India, and Chad recorded the highest number of deaths and DALYs, while Chad, South Sudan, and Lesotho exhibited the highest ASMR and ASDR values. Similar patterns were observed for non-exclusive and discontinued breastfeeding, with the greatest burden concentrated in resource-limited settings.

CONCLUSION

While the global burden of childhood diarrheal diseases attributable to suboptimal breastfeeding has significantly declined over the past three decades, the disease burden remains disproportionately high in less developed regions. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted public health policies and interventions to promote exclusive and continued breastfeeding, especially in high-burden regions, to further reduce preventable childhood morbidity and mortality.