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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Take the CME quiz: Vol. 13 No. 4, April 2005 Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My File Cabinet Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wiedermann, B. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Wiedermann, B. Related Collections Weighing the Evidence Breastfeeding

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

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

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]