Expression of Concern: Timing of Introduction of Complementary Foods — United States, 2016–2018

On May 25, MMWR Editors were informed by authors of “Timing of Introduction of Complementary Foods — United States, 2016–2018” (1) that there was an overestimation in surveillance data of the proportion of children aged 1–5 years who were introduced early (age <4 months) to complementary foods. A U.S. Census Bureau April 2023 data correction technical document describes a data processing error in the National Survey of Children’s Health for data collected during 2016–2021 (2). Because of this, the report authors are undertaking a thorough reanalysis using the corrected data. In accordance with December 2017 guidance from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (3), this Expression of Concern notice is to alert readers that the reanalysis is currently being conducted to correct the estimates and assess the validity of conclusions in the publication. A corrected report will be published in the coming weeks.

References

1. Chiang KV, Hamner HC, Li R, Perrine CG. Timing of introduction of complementary foods—United States, 2016–2018. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:1787–91. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6947a4 PMID:33237894
2. US Census Bureau. National Survey of Children’s Health: data revision for breastfeeding, formula and solid foods variables. Washington, DC: US Department of Commerce; 2023. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nsch/technical-documentation/Data_Correction_for_BREASTFEDEND_FRSTFORMULA_and_FRSTSOLIDS.pdf
3. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Corrections, retractions, republications and version control. Vancouver, British Columbia: International Committee of Medical Journal Editors; 2017. https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/publishing-and-editorial-issues/corrections-and-version-control.html