{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,30]],"date-time":"2026-10-30T03:26:48Z","timestamp":1793330808837,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"American Medical Association (AMA)","issue":"3","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JAMA Netw Open"],"abstract":"Importance<\/jats:title>Detecting and addressing potentially modifiable factors associated with healthy development is key to optimizing a child\u2019s potential. When investigating the outcomes of child development, it is important to account for disparities in feeding practices and avoid confounding bias.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Objectives<\/jats:title>To estimate the independent association between breastfeeding and attainment of developmental milestones or neurodevelopmental conditions.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Design, Setting, and Participants<\/jats:title>This retrospective cohort study used data from a national network for routine child development surveillance in Israel linked with national social insurance financial entitlements for neurodevelopmental deficiencies. Participants were children born between January 2014 and December 2020 after at least 35 weeks\u2019 gestation without severe morbidity and with at least 1 follow-up surveillance visit at 2 to 3 years of age. Outcome data were collected in March 2023.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Exposures<\/jats:title>Duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding in infancy.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Main Outcomes and Measures<\/jats:title>The primary outcomes were delays in attainment of developmental milestones and diagnosis of prespecified neurodevelopmental conditions. Multivariable regression, matching, and within-family analyses were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) after accounting for potential confounding factors related to the child (gestational age, birth weight, multiple gestation, and child order in the family) and mother (age, socioeconomic status, educational level, marital status, employment, nationality, and postpartum depression).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Results<\/jats:title>Of 570\u202f532 children (291\u202f953 [51.2%] male), 20 642 (3.6%) were preterm, 38\u202f499 (6.7%) were small for gestational age, and 297\u202f571 (52.1%) were breastfed for at least 6 months (123\u202f984 [41.7%] were exclusively breastfed). Children who were breastfed for at least 6 months exhibited fewer delays in attaining language and social or motor developmental milestones compared with children exposed to less than 6 months of breastfeeding (AOR, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.71-0.76] for exclusive breastfeeding; AOR, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.83-0.88] for nonexclusive breastfeeding). Among 37\u202f704 sibling pairs, children who were breastfed for at least 6 months were less likely to demonstrate milestone attainment delays (OR, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.86-0.97]) or be diagnosed with neurodevelopmental conditions (OR, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.66-0.82]) compared with their sibling with less than 6 months of breastfeeding or no breastfeeding.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Conclusions and Relevance<\/jats:title>In this cohort study, exclusive or longer duration of breastfeeding was associated with reduced odds of developmental delays and language or social neurodevelopmental conditions. These findings may guide parents, caregivers, and public health initiatives in promoting early child development.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2025.1540","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,24]],"date-time":"2025-03-24T16:37:33Z","timestamp":1742834253000},"page":"e251540","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":31,"title":["Breastfeeding Duration and Child Development"],"prefix":"10.1001","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Inbal","family":"Goldshtein","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"KI Research Institute, Kfar Malal, Israel"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yair","family":"Sadaka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"KI Research Institute, Kfar Malal, Israel"},{"name":"Neuro-Developmental Research Center, Mental Health Institute, Be\u2019er-Sheva, Israel"},{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be\u2019er-Sheva, Israel"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Guy","family":"Amit","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"KI Research Institute, Kfar Malal, Israel"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nitsa","family":"Kasir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Insurance Institute, Jerusalem, Israel"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Thomas","family":"Bourgeron","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Varun","family":"Warrier","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pinchas","family":"Akiva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"KI Research Institute, Kfar Malal, Israel"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Meytal","family":"Avgil Tsadok","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TIMNA Initiative, Big Data Platform, Israel Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Deena R.","family":"Zimmerman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Maternal Child and Adolescent Department, Public Health Directorate, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"10","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,24]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"zoi250102r1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2022-057988","article-title":"Policy statement: breastfeeding and the use of human milk.","volume":"150","author":"Meek","year":"2022","journal-title":"Pediatrics"},{"issue":"5","key":"zoi250102r2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0267326","article-title":"To what extent does confounding explain the association between breastfeeding duration and cognitive development up to age 14? 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