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 Vol. 13 No. 4, April 2005
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Right arrow Weighing the Evidence
Right arrow Breastfeeding

AAP Grand Rounds 13:39 (2005)
© 2005 American Academy of Pediatrics

BREASTFEEDING

Weighing the Evidence: Wherefore Meta-Analysis and Odds Ratio?

Bernhard Wiedermann, MD, FAAP
The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

Are there any pediatricians who doubt that "breast is best?" When counseling our families about breastfeeding benefits, however, we should try to quantify the benefits. A meta-analysis summarized in this issue offers evidence that lack of breastfeeding in infancy is associated with a higher risk of leukemia in children. However, the limitations of meta-analyses and odds ratios, in particular, bear noting. Meta-analysis is a powerful statistical method by which data from different studies can be combined to make a stronger conclusion than could be made from the individual studies themselves. If misapplied, it can result in powerfully wrong answers, but the authors of this article conducted a careful search for publication bias and heterogeneity of studies, lending credence to their results.

What about the mother who cannot . . . [Full Text of this Article]