Breastfeeding and the Risk of Asthma in Australian Children - Research Proposal Example

Introduction Asthma is one of the leading causes of admission to hospital in Australian children. This may be increased by factors existent in initial life such as being male, low birth weight, young maternal age, maternal smoking, and earlytermination of exclusive breast feeding among other environmental factors. Thus breastfeeding may be a vital factor of the immune response. While breast feeding should be encouraged due to its diverse positive effects, the indication that it may check the development of asthma is contradictory. Therefore the duration of breast feeding plays an important role in boosting a child’s immune system that will enable him/her fight infections later in life. Thus the study seeks to explore the relationship between the interval of exclusive breast feeding and the development of asthma in children and also investigate if there is a relationship between the duration of breast feeding and the risk of asthma in Australian children (Oddy et.al. 2002). Importance of the study Breastfeeding is commonly promoted to decrease the threat of asthma in children. However, the substantiation for such effect is inconsistent and ambiguous in many ways. Hence the importance of this study aims at assessing the long term effects of asthma and other respiratory problems in relation to the duration of breast feeding. This study will therefore provide an insight on the role of breast feeding in the development of asthma and if in deed exclusive breast feeding helps in the reduction of the risk of asthma at a later life in Australian children (Kull et.al. 2002). Asthma is an important health problem in Australia. According to Australian Bureau of statistics 2006, asthma prevalence among children was at 12% and Australia was ranked third out of 44 participating countries (ABS 2006). Aims and objectives of the study To investigate the association between the duration of exclusive breast feeding and the development of asthma related outcomes in Australian children. To investigate the relationship between breast feeding and the prevalence of asthma in Australian children. To determine the interrelationships of breastfeeding with asthma. To carry out literature reviews on how breast feeding can reduce the prevalence of asthma among children. Research Questions 1. Are there any significant impact of exclusive breast feeding and the development of asthma in Australian children later in life? 2. Does the duration of breast feeding contribute positively or negatively to the development of asthma in Australian children? 3. How does exclusive breast feeding boost the immune system to fight against the development of asthma in children? Research Hypothesis Null Hypothesis (HO): Breast feeding does not increase the risk of asthma in Australian children. Hypothesis 1: There is a circumlocutory affirmative association between exclusive breast feeding and the development of asthma among Australian children. Hypothesis 2: There is a relationship between breast feeding and the risk of asthma development in Australian children. Research Methodology The research will involve the use of cohort study design in its methodology. A cohort of children born within a time frame of one year will be included in the neonatal study within a confine of an Australian Hospital and will be residing in the same locality for a period of three years. At enrolment, parents will be required to complete a questionnaire in regards to the general health of the study child. Data that will be documented at birth will include gender, gestational age, birth weight etc. Parents will also be required to keep a diary of their child’s health within the first year. At the age of one year old parents will also be necessitated to complete a homogeneous questionnaire about their child’s feeding programme. Before the child’s sixth birthday parents will be contacted and presented with another questionnaire that will include family record of respiratory indications and infections. Study Sample The study population will encompass children in an urban-suburban municipality born within a time frame of three years with a population of approximately 150,000. The baseline study population will comprise 2120 children involving the ages of one to seven years whose parents will be required to fill in a questionnaire. After a period of seven years a follow up survey will be carried out at all members of the cohort. The physical home addresses of the participating children will be updated. A completed questionnaire will then be received from these parents who will represent the study population. The control group will involve those children who were included in the cohort and breast feeding was not exclusive. Thus children who were not breast fed exclusively formed the control group in the research. Research Variables Independent variable: According to LaFountain & Bartos (2002), this is a variable that is usually controlled by the researcher so as to determine its relationship to the observed outcome of the research. It is also referred to as explanatory, predictor or manipulative variable. Hence in the case of this study the independent variable is duration of breast feeding which will explain the outcome of the research. Dependent variable: This is a variable that is being measured as an outcome and also known as explained variable. It changes as a result of the change in the independent variable. In regards to this research the dependent variable is asthma that is highly dependable on the duration of breast feeding (LaFountain and Bartos 2002). Demographic variable: This is nominal variable that is measured through the use of a nominal scale. In respect to this research the demographic variable is age; infants or children. Hence it is constant and does not vary. Data collection techniques The breast feeding history will be documented by independent interviewers at age 3. In this regard the duration of breast feeding and at the age which formulae or cow’s milk was introduced will be recorded by the interviewer and verified against the post natal nurse in prospective clinics. A participant will be considered to be a member of breast feeding group if the child has been exclusively breast fed for a period of at least 4 weeks. At about the age of 3 years, trained interviewers will be required to ask the parents whether the child will be suffering asthma or any other respiratory troubles. During the same period the family history of asthma and other related respiratory complications will be recorded. At the age of seven years a more all-inclusive questionnaire will be introduced whereby the rate of recurrence incident of asthma or wheezing will be recorded. Thereafter all individuals will be tested through the use of spirometer to ascertain any respiratory defects. Therefore the study will use survey method, questionnaires and laboratory tests in the data collection procedures. Measurement of outcome data will be based on the validated methodologies and the study will aid to detect the risk ratios of moderate size. Standard regression will also be used in the measurement of the research variable. Limitation of the Study Due to the nature of the study, it was time consuming and also needed close supervision of the study population and thereby crating a bias in the sampling procedure and data collection processes. Honesty of the parents in regards to their children health was difficult to measure since the interviewer will solely depend on the information provided by the parent during filling of the questionnaire. Hence it will be difficult to ascertain whether the child was exclusively breast fed or not. Conclusion This research will provide a framework of exploring to what extent does breast feeding help in reducing the risk of asthma in Australian children. Hence the study will make contributions to the previous studies and provide a u-shaped relation between duration of breastfeeding and the risk of asthma and other chronic respiratory infections. Thus the findings of the study will be relevant to the understanding of the cause of childhood asthma. Although additional studies and analyses will be necessary to authenticate the advantages and comprehend better the systems concerned, public health involvement that will support an amplified duration of exclusive breast feeding may aid in decreasing the morbidity and frequency of childhood asthma. References Chulada PC, Arbes SJ Jr, Dunson D, Zeldin DC. (2003). Breast-feeding and the prevalence of asthma and wheezing in children: Analyses from the third national health and nutrition examination survey, 1988–1994. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 111:328-36. Dell S, To T. (2001). Breastfeeding and asthma in young children: findings from a population-based study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 155(11):1261-1265. Friedman NJ, Zeiger RS. (2005).The role of breast-feeding in the development of allergies and asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 115:1238-1248. Gustafsson D, Loewhagen T, Andersson K. (1992). Risk of developing atopic disease after early feeding with cow's milk based formula. Arch Dis Child, 67:1008-10. Haby MM, Peat JK, Marks GB, Woolcock AJ, Leeder SR. (2001). Asthma in preschool children: prevalence and risk factors. Thorax, 56:589-95. Infante-Rivard C, Amre D, Gautrin D, Malo JL. (2001). Family size, day-care attendance and breastfeeding in relation to the incidence of childhood asthma. Am J Epidemiol, 153(7): 653-658. Ip S, Chung M, Raman G, et al. (2007). Breastfeeding and maternal and infant health outcomes in developed countries. Evid Rep Technol Assess (Full Rep); 153:1–186. Kull I, Wickman M, Lilja G, Nordvall SL, Pershagen G. (2002). Breast feeding and allergic disease in infants – a prospective birth cohort study. Arch Dis Child, 87:478-81. LaFountain, R. M., & Bartos, R. B. (2002). Research and statistics made meaningful in counselling and student affairs. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Nafstad P, Jaakkola JJK. (2003). Breast-feeding, passive smoking, and asthma and wheeze in children. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 112:807-8. 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