Pacifier Usage Among Saudi Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
Statistical Analysis
3. Results
Demographic Characteristics
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
NNSHs | Non-nutritive sucking habits |
AAPD | American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry |
CIs | Confidence intervals |
AORs | Adjusted odds ratios |
References
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Variables | N (%) | |
---|---|---|
Child gender | Male | 696 (48.4) |
Female | 742 (51.6) | |
Birth order | 1st | 388 (27.0) |
2nd | 401 (27.9) | |
3rd | 279 (19.4) | |
4th or more | 370 (25.7) | |
Type of delivery | Normal | 963 (67.0) |
Cesarean | 475 (33.0) | |
Type of feeding | Exclusive breastfeeding | 345 (24.0) |
Exclusive bottle feeding | 251 (17.5) | |
Mixed feeding | 842 (58.6) | |
Attending a nursery | Yes | 472 (32.8) |
No | 966 (67.2) | |
Maternal education | Illiterate/primary school | 510 (35.5) |
Intermediate/high school | 346 (24.1) | |
College and postgrad | 582 (40.5) | |
Maternal occupation | Student | 110 (7.6) |
Worker | 383 (26.6) | |
Housewife | 945 (65.7) | |
Average family monthly household income | Low | 334 (23.2) |
Moderate | 614 (42.7) | |
High | 490 (34.1) |
Variables | N (%) | |
---|---|---|
At what time of the day did the child use the pacifier? | Daytime | 134 (30.4) |
Nighttime | 105 (23.8) | |
During both | 202 (45.8) | |
Pacifier withdrawal age (in months) | 0–3 | 54 (12.2) |
4–6 | 157 (35.6) | |
7–12 | 52 (11.8) | |
13–24 | 118 (26.8) | |
25–36 | 49 (11.1) | |
>36 m | 11 (2.5) | |
Added sweeteners to the pacifier | Yes | 27 (6.1) |
No | 414 (93.8) | |
When was solid food introduced to the child’s diet (in months)? | 0–3 | 10 (2.3) |
4–6 | 281 (63.7) | |
7–12 | 117 (26.5) | |
13–24 | 23 (5.2) | |
24–36 | 10 (2.3) |
Variables | Did the Child Use a Pacifier? | Total | p-Value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | No | ||||
Child gender | Male | 209 (47.4) | 487 (48.8) | 696 (48.4) | 0.61 |
Female | 232 (52.6) | 510 (51.2) | 742 (51.6) | ||
Birth order | 1st | 166 (37.6) | 222 (22.3) | 388 (27.0) | <0.001 * |
2nd | 114 (25.9) | 287 (28.8) | 401 (27.9) | ||
3rd | 72 (16.3) | 207 (20.8) | 279 (19.4) | ||
4th or more | 89 (20.2) | 281 (28.2) | 370 (25.7) | ||
Type of delivery | Normal | 282 (63.9) | 681 (68.3) | 963 (67.0) | 0.105 |
Cesarean | 159 (36.1) | 316 (31.7) | 475 (33.0) | ||
Type of feeding practice | Exclusive breastfeeding | 47 (10.7) | 298 (29.9) | 345 (24.0) | <0.001 * |
Exclusive bottle feeding | 105 (23.8) | 146 (14.6) | 251 (17.5) | ||
Mixed feeding | 289 (65.5) | 553 (55.5) | 842 (58.6) | ||
Attending a nursery | Yes | 167 (37.9) | 305 (30.6) | 472 (32.8) | 0.007 * |
No | 274 (62.1) | 692 (69.4) | 966 (67.2) | ||
Maternal education | Illiterate/primary school | 166 (37.6) | 344 (34.5) | 510 (35.5) | 0.483 |
Intermediate/high school | 100 (22.7) | 246 (24.7) | 346 (24.1) | ||
College and postgrad | 175 (39.7) | 407 (40.8) | 582 (40.5) | ||
Maternal occupation | Student | 42 (9.5) | 68 (6.8) | 110 (7.6) | 0.152 |
Worker | 121 (27.4) | 262 (26.3) | 383 (26.6) | ||
Housewife | 278 (63.0) | 667 (66.9) | 945 (65.7) | ||
Average family monthly household income | Low | 96 (21.8) | 238 (23.9) | 334 (23.2) | 0.637 |
Moderate | 189 (42.9) | 425 (42.6) | 614 (42.7) | ||
High | 156 (35.4) | 334 (33.5) | 490 (34.1) |
AOR (95% CI) p-Value | ||
---|---|---|
Gender | Male | 0.946 (0.748–1.196) 0.642 |
Female | 1.000 | |
Birth order | 1st | 2.351 (1.703–3.246) < 0.001 * |
2nd | 1.301 (0.935–1.811) 0.119 | |
3rd | 1.185 (0.820–1.711) 0.366 | |
4th or more | 1.000 | |
Type of feeding practice | Exclusive breastfeeding | 0.290 (0.206–0.409) < 0.001 * |
Exclusive bottle feeding | 1.289 (0.957–1.736) 0.095 | |
Mixed feeding | 1.000 | |
Attending a nursery | Yes | 1.325 (1.035–1.695) 0.026 * |
No | 1.00 |
Variables | Did the Child Use a Pacifier? | Total | |
---|---|---|---|
Dipping the Pacifier in Sweetener Can Lead to Caries | Yes | No | |
Yes | 339 (76.8) | 748 (68.8) | 1078 (75.6) |
No | 22 (5.0) | 31 (3.1) | 53 (3.7) |
I don’t know | 80 (18.1) | 218 (21.9) | 298 (20.7) |
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Bagher, S.M.; Alattas, L.; Bakhaidar, H.; Farsi, N.M.; Abudawood, S.N.; Sabbagh, H.J. Pacifier Usage Among Saudi Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Healthcare 2025, 13, 1935. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13151935
Bagher SM, Alattas L, Bakhaidar H, Farsi NM, Abudawood SN, Sabbagh HJ. Pacifier Usage Among Saudi Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Healthcare. 2025; 13(15):1935. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13151935
Chicago/Turabian StyleBagher, Sara M., Logain Alattas, Haneen Bakhaidar, Najat M. Farsi, Shahad N. Abudawood, and Heba Jafar Sabbagh. 2025. "Pacifier Usage Among Saudi Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia" Healthcare 13, no. 15: 1935. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13151935
APA StyleBagher, S. M., Alattas, L., Bakhaidar, H., Farsi, N. M., Abudawood, S. N., & Sabbagh, H. J. (2025). Pacifier Usage Among Saudi Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Healthcare, 13(15), 1935. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13151935