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Growth and feeding practices of Vietnamese infants in Australia

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 58, pages 356–362 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the growth and feeding practices in first-generation Vietnamese infants living in Australia.

Design: Cohort study.

Setting: The study was conducted between 1999 and 2002 in Sydney.

Subjects: A total of 239 Vietnamese women were recruited randomly from antenatal clinics, and of these 210 were initially seen. During the first year, 20 cases (9.5%) were lost to follow-up. Data were collected at 0.5, 2, 4, 6, 9 and 12 months.

Results: Vietnamese infants were significantly longer and heavier than reference data (both P<0.0001). The Vietnamese infants had a significant decline in weight growth with age compared with reference data (P<0.001). The Vietnamese infants had marginally higher s.d. score for ideal weight for length than reference data (P=0.044). There was a significant decline in ideal weight for length with age compared with reference data (P=0.0065). Both parents were significantly shorter (mean s.d. height scores: −1.5±0.8 (mother) and −1.8±0.8 (father)) than reference data (P<0.001). The incidence of breast feeding was 79%, but half of the breast feeding women had stopped breast feeding by 3 months. A total of 162 (79.8%) infants were given infant formula within the first week, of whom 131 (80.1%) were fed infant formula within the first 24 h after birth.

Conclusions: Vietnamese infants in this study had growth comparable with reference data despite their parents being shorter than reference data. Breast feeding duration was short with infant formula being introduced early.

Sponsorship: Funding was supported in part by the James Fairfax Institute of Paediatric Nutrition and grants from The Financial Market Foundation for Children, The Children's Hospital Fund at Westmead, Karitane, and The Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Foundations, Australia.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Vietnamese families who committed their time to this study without whom this study would not have been possible. We also thank the many people who assisted with this study, particularly Mai Phuong Duong, Betty Lu, Nguyet Anh Cao, Dr Karen Webb and the late Dr Padma Loka.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. James Fairfax Institute of Paediatric Nutrition, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia

    N D Nguyen, J R Allen & K J Gaskin

  2. Clinical Epidemiology Unit, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia

    J K Peat

  3. Public Health and Community Medicine, The University of Sydney, Australia

    W N Schofield

  4. Child & Youth Health, Adelaide, Australia

    V Nossar

  5. Centre for Multicultural Health, The University of New South Wales, Australia

    M Eisenbruch

Authors
  1. N D Nguyen
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  2. J R Allen
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  4. W N Schofield
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Contributions

Guarantors: JR Allen and KJ Gaskin.

Contributors: N Nguyen and J Allen contributed to the study design, and were involved in the field study. J Peat and W Schofield contributed to the analysis of the data and the study design. V Nossar, M Eisenbruch and K Gaskin contributed to the study design. All contributors were involved in the writing of the paper.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K J Gaskin.

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Nguyen, N., Allen, J., Peat, J. et al. Growth and feeding practices of Vietnamese infants in Australia. Eur J Clin Nutr 58, 356–362 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601791

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