The Influence of Upright Feeding Position on Pulmonary and Ear Morbidity

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Does upright feeding position of 3 month old infants reduce respiratory and ear morbidity during the following year?

Detailed Description
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The investigators examined the influence of teaching mothers to feed infants with their head in an upright position and evaluated the infant ear and respiratory morbidity during a one-year follow-up. Mothers of 88 infants born during 2011 were instructed by trained nurses at Maternal-Child-Health clinics to feed their infants with their head in upright position (intervention group). The control group consisted of 75 mothers of infants of similar socioeconomic background who fed their infant regularly without any instructions and were followed at another Maternal-Child-Health clinic. Feeding position was evaluated at the beginning and the end of the study, and morbidity data of both groups were evaluated at every 3-month follow-up meeting. The study was part of the PhD thesis of Efrat Danino, Head Nurse of Pediatric Department at Hadassah Medical Organization.

Official Title
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The Influence of Upright Feeding Position on Pulmonary and Ear Morbidity

Conditions
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Feeding and Eating Disorders

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: upright head position


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: healthy 3 month old infants, bottle fed at least once a day, parent agreeing to participate Exclusion Criteria: Prematurity, need of supplemental oxygen, broncho-pulmonary dysplasia, cystic fibrosis, familial dysautonomia, cleft lip or cleft palate, any ear-throat-lung or airway congenital anomaly, congenital heart disease, any other chronic disease of childhood or malignancy

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 3 Months
Maximum Age: 4 Months

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: 3 month old infants were recruited from 2 Mother-Child-Health clinics and followed for 12 months. Mothers from intervention group were instructed to feed their babies (88 infants) with their head in upright position. Mothers from control group (75 infants) fed their infant regularly without any instructions . Respiratory and ear morbidity were evaluated during the following 12 month period.
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Active Comparator: Intervention group<br>intervention: upright head position | Behavioral: upright head position<br>* Bottle feeding of infants with their head in upward and not supine head position<br>|
| No Intervention: Control group<br>no feeding position instructions | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Infant morbidity | respiratory (cough, wheezing, physician diagnosed bronchitis or pneumonia), ear (OM, SOM), prolonged fever, use of antibiotics and inhalations. | every 12 weeks visit to Mother Child Health clinic until end of 1 year follow up | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Feeding position angle | description of feeding position angle | at beginning and end of study (1 year follow up) | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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infant, feeding position, respiratory, ear