Different Methods of Infant Feeding and the Growth of Head in Inf ants and Children : With the Special Reference to Brachycephalization of Artificially Fed Children

Abstract

Cross sectional investigation on the growth of head were examined in Sendai in 1969. Examinees were divided into three groups by the different methods of infant feeding, such as 1) breast feeding. 2) mixed feeding of breast and artificial, and 3) artificial feeding. The total number of the examinees were 2, 796. Their age groups were four month-, three year-, five year-, ten year- and twelve year-ages of both sexes. These data were analyzed and discussed by the epidemiological procedures. The results are as follows 1) Four months artificially fed male infants showed significantly smaller value than breast fed male infants (p<0.05) in height, weight and girth of chest. No significant differences were observed in other groups on these items. 2) Four months breast fed infants showed larger value in girth of head than artificially fed infants in male (p<0.0001). Girth of head of artificially fed female children showed rather smaller value than breast fed children, and there were significant differences in three years and five years children (p<0.05). 3) Head length of artificially fed children showed smaller value than breast fed children in every age groups of both sexes, and the significant differences were shown in the groups of four months and ten years of male (p<0.05). Head width of artificially fed children showed rather wider values than breast fed children. However, significant differences were observed only in twelve year-age of male (p<0.05). Mixed fed children showed in-termediate value between these two groups in the items of head length and width. 4) Significant correlation was not observed between the methods of infant feeding and the results of intelligence test.