Abstract
The study examined the benefits of duration of exclusive breastfeeding and maternal stimulation on cognitive skills of children aged between 12 and 30 months. One hundred and twenty children aged 12–30 months were recruited from the anganwadis from an urban center. Home stimulation was measured by the toddler version of the stimulation questionnaire (StimQ version). Duration of breastfeeding (exclusive and total) was documented using a maternal semi-structured questionnaire. Cognitive development was assessed by the Developmental Assessment Scales for Indian Infants (DASII). The study was approved by the ethics board of the institute. Overall, the MeDQ was 92.65 (SD 12.93) and 13.6% of the sample were delayed in the cognitive domain (MeDQ < 80). The total mean duration of breastfeeding was 13.92 months (SD 8.09), and exclusive breastfeeding duration was 4.20 months (SD 2.61). The MeDQ was significantly associated with the total duration of breastfeeding (F = 5.67, P = 0.001). The difference in the MeDQ scores between children who were breastfed and those who were never breastfed was 3.5 points. Toddlers who were delayed (MeDQ < 80) were significantly less likely to be stimulated (t = 3.49, P = 0.001). Multivariate stepwise regression analysis revealed that the total StimQ score, age of the child, and total duration of breastfeeding explained 29.2% of the variance in the MeDQ of the child (F = 17.92, P = 0.0001). Breastfeeding and parental stimulation both confer positive benefits to the early cognitive functioning of toddlers, and these need to be emphasized during primary care visits.
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The data that support the findings of this study are available on reasonable request from the corresponding author [PM]. The data are not publicly available as it contains personal and sensitive information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.
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Abbreviations
- SDGs:
-
Sustainable Development Goals
- LMICs:
-
Low- and middle-income countries
- IQ:
-
Intelligence quotient
- StimQ:
-
Stimulation questionnaire
- ALM:
-
Availability of learning materials
- READ:
-
Read subscale
- PIDA:
-
Parents’ involvement in developmental activities
- PVR:
-
Parental verbal responsivity
- MDI:
-
Mental development index
- MeDQ:
-
Mental developmental quotient
- MAA:
-
Mother absolute affection
- ASHA:
-
Accredited Social Health Activist
- ICDS:
-
Integrated Child Development Service
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PM and BB conceptualized the study. MS did the literature search, collected, and coded the data. PM did the statistical analysis and wrote the manuscript with critical inputs from BB and MS. All the authors approved the final manuscript.
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Malhi, P., Bharti, B. & Sidhu, M. Benefits of Breastfeeding, Early Home Stimulation, and Maternal Demographic Factors on Cognitive Functioning of Toddlers. Psychol Stud 68, 563–570 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-023-00759-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-023-00759-x