Association between duration of breastfeeding and refractive error in preschool children

Objective To explore the relationship between the duration of breastfeeding and refractive error in preschool children.

Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted to investigate the visual acuity of 2, 915 preschool children aged 3 to 6 years using a questionnaire.

Results After adjusting for potential confounding factors such as parental education level, premature birth, birth weight, family structure, only-child status, screen-watching, outdoor activity time, and sleep time using a Logistic regression equation, compared with a breastfeeding duration of less than 6 months, a breastfeeding duration of 6 to 12 months (OR=0.683, 95%CI: 0.516 to 0.903) and > 12 months (OR=0.628, 95%CI: 0.451 to 0.874) were found to be protective factors against refractive error. Further stratified analysis revealed that a breastfeeding duration of 6 to 12 months (OR=0.640, 95%CI: 0.459 to 0.892) and > 12 months (OR=0.519, 95%CI: 0.347 to 0.777) had a protective effect on the visual acuity of preschool children aged 3 to 4 years.

Conclusion The duration of breastfeeding is a protective factor against refractive error in preschool children aged 3 to 4 years, and prolonging the duration of breastfeeding is beneficial for reducing the occurrence of refractive error.