Table 1 Definitions and categorisation of infants as reported in the identified studies
Study | Definitions – infant feeding categories | NHMRC level[25] |
|---|---|---|
Serenius, 1988 [29] | No definitions provided | IV |
Al-Othaimeen, 1987 [35] | No definitions provided | IV |
Al-Mazrou, 1994 [18], p. 267 | “The term weaning was used to denote the event of stopping of breastfeeding. Supplementation meant the addition of other milks or semi-solids to a breastfed baby”. | IV |
Madani, 1994 [30] | No definitions provided | IV |
Al-Shehri, 1995 [20], p. 41 | “Breastfeeding only refers to those infants who were breastfed exclusively without any reconstituted powdered milk or any other infant formula. Bottlefed refers to the infants and children who were given reconstituted powdered milk or other infant formula”. | IV |
Kordy, 1992 [24] | No definitions provided | IV |
Shawky, 2003 [31], p. 92 | “If the mother lactated only or breast fed together with bottle or solid foods, breast feeding was considered to be still continuing”. | IV |
Al-Ayed, 1998 [32], p. 114 | “Infants were grouped into the following broad categories for analysis: exclusively breastfed (breast + semisolids); exclusively bottle fed (bottle + semisolids), and infants on mixed feeding (breast + bottle + semisolids)”. | IV |
Al-Jassir, 2004 [19] | No definitions provided | IV |
Khattab, 2000 [23] | No definitions provided | IV |
Fida, 2003 [33] | No definitions provided | IV |
Al-Jassir, 2006 [34] | No definitions provided | IV |
El Mouzan, 2009 [27], p. 21 | “According to the WHO definition, exclusive breastfeeding means no other food or fluids (including plain water and juices). Infant milk formulas are considered complementary food”. | IV |
Al-Hreashy, 2008 [26], p. 428 | “The WHO definitions for breastfeeding were adopted for classification of infant feeding patterns”. | IV |
El-Gilany, 2011 [28], p. 209 | “According to the World Health Organization definition, exclusive breastfeeding means no other food or fluids (including plain water and juices), and the infant consumes human milk with no supplements of any type except for vitamins, minerals, and medications”. | IV |
Amin, 2011 [21], p. 60 | “Breastfeeding definitions used in this study were according to the infant feeding recommendations of the 2001 WHO Expert Consultation and the 55th World Health Assembly”. | IV |
Eldeek, 2012 [22], p. 157 | “World Health Organization (WHO) definitions were used for classification of infants’ nutrition patterns”. | IV |