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Abstract

Objectives: To determine the association between acute gastroenteritis and type of feeding in infants up to 6 months of age presenting to the pediatric ward.  Study Design: Case-control study. Place and duration of study: This study was conducted at the department of pediatrics, CMH, Abbottabad from Nov-2024 to Apr-2025. Methods: A total of 65 infants aged ≤ 6 months presenting with acute gastroenteritis were included in this study. Another 65 infants belonging to the same age group present for reasons other than any severe infection or disease were included in the control group. Mother of each infant included in this study was interviewed to find the details of feeding practices and infants were then classified as per WHO classification as exclusive breast feeding, exclusive formula feeding and mixed feeding. The association between feeding type and the incidence of acute gastroenteritis was assessed by applying the chi-square test between the results of study group and the controls. Results: The mean age of infants was 3.4±1.49 months. Highest number of infants in the study group were on exclusive formula feeding (44.6%), followed by mixed feeding (36.9%) and only 18.5% were on exclusive breast feeding in contrast to control group where this percentage was 13.9%, 35.4% and 50.8%, respectively. A statistically significant association was found between the feeding type and the incidence of acute gastroenteritis (p < 0.001). Infants who were on exclusive formula feeding had significantly higher odds of developing acute gastroenteritis (OR: 8.86), followed by those on mixed feeding (OR: 2.87), while exclusive breast feeding had the lowest risk. Conclusion: A significant association is found between feeding practices and the risk of acute gastroenteritis in infants aged ≤6 months.