Common baby symptoms study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring Parents' experiences of common baby symptoms
IRAS ID
309678
Contact name
Ingrid Muller
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Infants commonly experience symptoms in the first year of life, such as excessive crying or vomiting, that concern parents and carers and lead them to seek advice and support from healthcare professionals. There are many causes of these symptoms, including constipation or overfeeding, and simple advice can often lead to resolution of symptoms. Other causes can be cow’s milk allergy (CMPA) or gastro-oesophageal reflux and prescribing for both has risen dramatically in the past few years. This may be related to marketing by pharmaceutical companies and formula manufacturers, which have shifted lay and professional attention to cow’s milk allergy (CMPA) or gastro-oesophageal reflux as common causes of these symptoms. Medicines may be given to help manage gastro-oesophageal reflux, but these medicines can cause side-effects. Similarly, excluding dairy from the diet of the breastfeeding mum and infant is difficult and may have negative effects, including stopping breastfeeding early. Specialised formula milk is costly and often not well tolerated. Little is known about how parents and carers make sense of common infant symptoms, where they seek help, or how it affects their feeding decisions.
We aim to interview parents and carers of infants (12 months of age or younger) to explore their understanding of symptoms and their feeding decisions and help-seeking behaviour. A better understanding of parents and carers’ experiences and actions will inform future research on how healthcare professionals can best help parents and carers look after infants while avoiding unnecessary or excessive use of medications.
REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/NE/0023
Date of REC Opinion
11 Jan 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion