l. (1979) found that infants who were breast-fed were less likely to suffer from respiratory illnesses than bottle fed infants (in Wright, Bauer, Naylor, Sutcliffe, & Clark, 1998, p. 837). In their study of the relationship between breast-feeding and otitis media, Duncan et al. (1993) concluded that breast-feeding was effective in decreasing the infant's risk of contracting otitis media (in Wright et al., 1998, p. 837). Burr et al. (1993) even found that the protective effects of breast-feeding against respiratory illnesses lingered within a child up to 7 years old. These researchers found that wheezing illnesses were not as prevalent among children who were breast-fed as infants, as compared to bottle-fed infants (in Wright et al., 1995, p. 758).
Even more significantly, scientists have found that breast-feeding can save the lives of the infants in developing countries. A study by Victoria et al. (1987) showed that the likelihood of infants dying increased 14.2 times when they were completely weaned. Hanson et al. (1985) and Black et al. (1989) attributed the benefits of breast-feeding to its anti-infective components (Fuchs, Victora, & Martines, 1996, p. 391). In addition, infants do not have to rely on contaminated food and water before they are strong enough to withstand the negative effects (in Fuchs et al., 1996, p. 391). Therefore, researchers have utilized campaigns to introduce breast-feeding into developing countries. Mata et al. (1988) showed that infant mortality due to infant illness, such as diarrhea, sepsis, bronchopneumonia, and meningitis decreased after a breast-feeding campaign was initiated in Costa Rica (in Wright et al., 1998, p. 837).
Other researchers have delved into the specific components of breast milk, which protect infants from contracting illnesses. Specifically, Weinberg et al. (1984) have investigated the protective effect of breast-feeding on rotavirus gastroenteritis (in Newburg et al., 1998, ...