This study was conducted to evaluate the red cell indices and frequency of iron deficiency anemia based on the feeding patterns of nine-month-old infants.

Blood tests were performed on 253 nine-month-old infants, who visited Il Sin Christian Hospital for health checkups from January to December 2007. Their parents answered telephonic questions regarding their feeding patterns and weaning foods.

Three infants groups were created according to feeding patterns before they started weaning foods. One group was exclusively breast-fed (48.6%), another had mixed feeding (27.3%), and the third had artificial milk feeding (24.1%). Red cell indices (hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV, MCH) of the breast-fed group were comparatively lower than those of the other two groups ( P <0.05). Twenty-five infants (9.9%) were diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia. According to feeding patterns, the frequency of anemia was highest in the breast-fed group. Six infants who started weaning foods before six months of age (113 infants) were diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia (5.3%), and nineteen who started after six months of age (140 infants) were diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia (13.6%).

When nine-month old infants visit hospitals for health check-ups, pediatricians must consider their feeding pattern and weaning foods histories, and then recommend screening blood tests for iron-deficiency anemia.