NUTRITIONAL PROBLEMS AND FACTORS FORMING HEALTH STATUS OF CHILDREN OVER THEIR FIRST YEAR

Abstract

Purpose: to investigate the impact of the type of feeding on the incidence and physical development of infants. Material and methods. During a year, 250 children of the first year of life under control received different types of feeding (breast milk and milk formulas, differing in composition). Physical development was assessed according to the generally accepted measurement technique in terms of absolute values, monthly increases in anthropometric indicators and mass-growth indices. Outpatient records of children, protocols of examination of a 1-year-old child were studied. The inclusion criteria for the main group of infants were: breastfeeding for at least 9 months; the age of children up to 1 year. The second comparison group included children who received mixed feeding, which includes probiotics.
 Results. In the girls of the second group, who received mixed feeding with probiotics (7100.0±95.9 g), the weight gain in the first year was significantly higher than the weight gain in the girls who received breast milk and standard formula - 6671 , 0±72.6 g. and 6733.3±91.8 g, respectively. Despite the fact that there were no significant differences in the medians of body weight and height in children of the main group and the comparison groups, it was found that children in the main group were overweight / obese at the age of 2 months had twice as less indicators than children who received mixed feeding. Breastfed children began to sit without support much earlier, on average at 7.6±0.05 months after birth, and children of the other two groups who are bottle-fed, on average, at 8.0±0.13 and 8,1±0.12 months, respectively (p <0.05). When studying the most common diseases of children over their first year of life, depending on the type of feeding, the following results were found out: acute intestinal infections made up the largest share in both groups, 7.7±2.34% of children in the I group, and 11.7±2.93% of children in the II group (p = 0.3905).
 Conclusion. The study has demonstrated that breastfeeding in the first year of life reduces the risk of overweight and ensures harmonious physical development, neuropsychic development, cuts down the frequency of infectious diseases, alimentary disorders, functional digestive disorders, and contributes to the normalization of intestinal microflora. It is also important to introduce optimal combinations of feeding methods for young children and adding probiotics.