TY - JOUR
T1 - The relationship of bottle feeding and other sucking behaviors with speech disorder in Patagonian preschoolers
AU - Barbosa, Clarita
AU - Vasquez, Sandra
AU - Parada, Mary A.
AU - Gonzalez, Juan C.V.
AU - Jackson, Chanaye
AU - Yanez, N. David
AU - Gelaye, Bizu
AU - Fitzpatrick, Annette L.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was completed while Ms. Mary Parada and Ms. Chanaye Jackson were research training fellows with the Multidisciplinary International Research Training (MIRT) Program of the University of Washington, School of Public Health. The MIRT Program is supported by an award from the National Institutes of Health, National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (T37-MD001449). The authors wish to thank Corpo-ración de Rehabilitación Club de Leones Cruz del Sur, Punta Arenas, Chile for providing facilities and logistics support throughout the research process and Junta Nacional de Jardines Infantiles de Chile (JUNJI) for granting access to conduct the study.
PY - 2009/10/21
Y1 - 2009/10/21
N2 - Background: Previous studies have shown that children's nonnutritive sucking habits may lead to delayed development of their oral anatomy and functioning. However, these findings were inconsistent. We investigated associations between use of bottles, pacifiers, and other sucking behaviors with speech disorders in children attending three preschools in Punta Arenas (Patagonia), Chile. Methods: Information on infant feeding and sucking behaviors, age starting and stopping breast- and bottle-feeding, pacifier use, and other sucking behaviors, was collected from self-administered questionnaires completed by parents. Evaluation of speech problems was conducted at preschools with subsequent scoring by a licensed speech pathologist using age-normative standards. Results: A total of 128 three- to five-year olds were assessed, 46% girls and 54% boys. Children were breastfed for an average of 25.2 (SD 9.6) months and used a bottle 24.4 (SD 15.2) months. Fifty-three children (41.7%) had or currently used a pacifier for an average of 11.4 (SD 17.3) months; 23 children (18.3%) were reported to have sucked their fingers. Delayed use of a bottle until after 9 months appeared to be protective for subsequent speech disorders. There was less than a one-third lower relative odds of subsequent speech disorders for children with a delayed use of a bottle compared to children without a delayed use of a bottle (OR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.10-0.98). A three-fold increase in relative odds of speech disorder was found for finger-sucking behavior (OR: 2.99, 95% CI: 1.10-8.00) and for use of a pacifier for 3 or more years (OR: 3.42, 95% CI: 1.08-10.81). Conclusion: The results suggest extended use of sucking outside of breastfeeding may have detrimental effects on speech development in young children.
AB - Background: Previous studies have shown that children's nonnutritive sucking habits may lead to delayed development of their oral anatomy and functioning. However, these findings were inconsistent. We investigated associations between use of bottles, pacifiers, and other sucking behaviors with speech disorders in children attending three preschools in Punta Arenas (Patagonia), Chile. Methods: Information on infant feeding and sucking behaviors, age starting and stopping breast- and bottle-feeding, pacifier use, and other sucking behaviors, was collected from self-administered questionnaires completed by parents. Evaluation of speech problems was conducted at preschools with subsequent scoring by a licensed speech pathologist using age-normative standards. Results: A total of 128 three- to five-year olds were assessed, 46% girls and 54% boys. Children were breastfed for an average of 25.2 (SD 9.6) months and used a bottle 24.4 (SD 15.2) months. Fifty-three children (41.7%) had or currently used a pacifier for an average of 11.4 (SD 17.3) months; 23 children (18.3%) were reported to have sucked their fingers. Delayed use of a bottle until after 9 months appeared to be protective for subsequent speech disorders. There was less than a one-third lower relative odds of subsequent speech disorders for children with a delayed use of a bottle compared to children without a delayed use of a bottle (OR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.10-0.98). A three-fold increase in relative odds of speech disorder was found for finger-sucking behavior (OR: 2.99, 95% CI: 1.10-8.00) and for use of a pacifier for 3 or more years (OR: 3.42, 95% CI: 1.08-10.81). Conclusion: The results suggest extended use of sucking outside of breastfeeding may have detrimental effects on speech development in young children.
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U2 - 10.1186/1471-2431-9-66
DO - 10.1186/1471-2431-9-66
M3 - Article
C2 - 19845936
AN - SCOPUS:71149086737
SN - 1471-2431
VL - 9
JO - BMC Pediatrics
JF - BMC Pediatrics
M1 - 66
ER -