Literature review for - Flourish Paediatrics

Table 24.3 Summary used to make evidence statements for breastfeeding and asthma and atopic disease
STUDY DETAILS Oddy 2009
(Review)
Affiliation/source of
funds
Study design Systematic Review of Cohort studies
Level of evidence III-2 Evidence obtained from comparative studies (including systematic reviews of such studies) with concurrent controls
and allocation not randomised, cohort studies, case-control studies, or interrupted time series with a control group.
Date of search Not reported but most paper in the publication range of 1981 to 2002
Number of studies Not reported specifically, about 4 cohort studies, but 83 references cited. A table is given that specifies the inclusion criteria
for assessing quality of the studies. Children had to be followed for at least 5 years.
Total number of >4300
participants
Population
Infants cohorts, both random population samples and cohorts of infants with a family history of asthma or atopy
characteristics
Range of exposure Exposure criteria given: 1. Non-reliance on late maternal recall of breastfeeding; 2. Blind ascertainment of infant feeding
history; 3. Sufficient duration of breastfeeding; 4. Sufficient exclusivity of breastfeeding
Length of follow-up 5-17 yrs
Outcome(s) Outcome criteria: 1. Strict diagnostic criteria; 2. Blind ascertainment of outcomes; 3. Consideration of severity of outcome;
measured
4. Consideration of age of onset of outcome
INTERNAL
VALIDITY
Databases included not reported
in search
Statistical analysis Statistics: 1. Control for confounding factors; 2. Assessment of dose-response effects; 3. Assessment of effects in children
methods
at high risk of outcome; 4. Adequate statistical power
Overall quality Negative but summarising previously published systematic review and giving a guide to interpretation of the studies
assessment
(Positive/Negative
or Neutral) plus
524