The optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding for child health and development: a multi-cohort and multi-country assessment.

We are a research team based at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute working on a Swiss National Science Foundation grant to identify the optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding for child health and development. The international 6-month exclusive breastfeeding recommendation created by the World Health Organization is based on a systematic review conducted in 2002. Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as only receipt of breastmilk, oral rehydration solution, vitamins, minerals or medicines, excluding other liquids or solids, including water. Evidence emerging from this study was positive but inconsistent, complicated by the fact that studies used different and often flexible definitions of exclusive breastfeeding. Although the systematic review was independently updated in 2012 with 23 studies, the total available sample size remained small (the majority of studies range from 30-193 participants), with most studies being of cross-sectional nature, and often inconsistent definitions of exclusive breastfeeding.

In order to address this, we are assembling an international multi-cohort data set that will allow us to re-assess exclusive breastfeeding guidelines and provide specific recommendations by country economic level (low-, middle-, and high-income).