Further studies on the effects of infant feeding on speech quality

Abstract

A previous speech survey (Broad, 1972) has been extended to include similar children in schools on the West Coast of the South Island, making a total of 319 for the two surveys. Both surveys were retrospective. The West Coast study has extended the findings of the earlier project. The combined studies showed that: 1. Breast feeding is associated strongly with improved speech clarity in the male child and the tendency for breast feeding to be associated with improved tonal quality is sustained. 2. Reading ability is associated with breast feeding for the entire group, boys showing the effect more clearly than girls. 3. A high degree of association was found between reading ability and speech clarity. 4. There is an association between breast feeding and confidence. There is evidence that the feeding effect is different for both sexes and that differences exist between the two regions.