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Infant Feeding Practices of Anglo American and Asian Indian American Mothers

Department of Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee

Address reprint requests to: Srimathi Kannan, PhD, Assistant Professor, Human Nutrition Program, Department of Environmental and Industrial Health, School of Public Health, 1420, Washington Heights, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029.

Objective: To compare infant feeding practices of Anglo-American (AA) (n=25) and Asian-Indian American (AIA) mothers (n=25) residing in the southeastern United States.

Methods: Feeding practices (breast-feeding, formula-feeding, introduction of solid foods) were assessed at infant ages one, three, six, nine and twelve months for a total of 250 interviews conducted in the home. Mothers’ sources of information about infant feeding practices and dietary intakes of their infants were collected (24-hour recalls).

Results: Compared to their AIA counterparts, AA mothers breast-fed for significantly longer durations and introduced formula and solid foods into the infants’ diet at a later age (p<0.05). Throughout the first year, AA mothers relied primarily upon health professionals for infant feeding information compared to AIA mothers, who sought information primarily from the family network during the first six months and relied more on health professionals during the second six months of the infant’s life. Throughout the first twelve months, infants of both groups exceeded 100% of the RDA for energy, protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C.

Conclusion: Health professionals, including nutrition educators, should educate AIA mothers about and encourage AA mothers to follow current feeding recommendations and guidelines about breast-feeding, formula-feeding and introducing solid foods.

Key words: infant feeding, Anglo American, Asian Indian American, breast feeding, solid foods, nutrients

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