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  • Title: Is cow's milk suitable for the dietary supplementation of rural Gambian children? 2. Patterns of cow's milk intake.
    Author: Erinoso HO, Hoare S, Weaver LT.
    Journal: Ann Trop Paediatr; 1992; 12(4):367-73. PubMed ID: 1283665.
    Abstract:
    Cow's milk has been advocated as a source of supplementary diet for children in many parts of the developing world. The frequency and forms of cow's milk intake and the factors regulating its availability and consumption by 507 children aged up to 6 years in three Gambian villages were measured. Nineteen per cent of mothers did not give cow's milk to their children. Of 413 children taking cow's milk, 41% consumed it only once a week, 32% two to four times a week, 19% once a day and 8% more than once a day. Eighty per cent of children took both fresh and sour milk. Forty-one per cent of infants up to 1 year old received cow's milk at some time. There was a decrease with age in the proportion of children taking fresh milk and a rise with age in the proportion taking sour milk alone (p < 0.001) and both forms of milk. Only 2% of children were reported to have an adverse reaction to fresh cow's milk. The main factors affecting intake were the availability of money and milk. The consumption of cow's milk in early life is common and free of adverse effects. When it is available, it should be used to supplement the diet of the weaned child. In The Gambia, field assistants interviewed 349 mothers of 507 children no older than 6 years old in Kantonkunda, Manduar, and Keneba, in the West Kiang district, to determine the frequency and forms of milk intake and to identify factors which control milk availability and ingestion. 413 children consumed cow's milk. The remaining children consume the milk of goats and sheep. 41% of the 413 children ingested cow's milk once a week, 32% 2-4 times a week, 19% once a day, and 8% more than once a day. More than 30% of children who were at least 1 year old drank cow's milk at least once a week. 80% of all children drank both fresh and sour milk. 13% only drank fresh milk. 5% drank only sour milk. Just 2% were ever given pasteurized milk. Children 1-year-old were more likely to ingest fresh milk than older children (e.g. 50% vs. 18% for 1-2 year olds, the next largest fresh milk consuming group). Sour milk consumption increased with age, while fresh milk consumption decreased with age (p .001), suggesting that increased sour milk consumption was a way to reduce the symptoms of milk tolerance. Just 2% of children suffered from an allergic reaction to fresh milk. The cost of cow's milk limited its widespread use as a food for children. Knowledge of the significance of milk did not increase milk intake, but availability did. Specifically, a higher proportion of families who owned their own cow gave their children milk once a day than did those who did not have a cow and those who did not have money (36% vs 15 and 10%, respectively). These findings led the researchers to recommend cow's milk consumption only for completely weaned children. It should be boiled or soured and served and drunk from clean containers.
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