Table 3.

Univariate meta‐regression and pooled odds ratio estimates of association between pacifier use on the interruption of EBF based on 40 studies

	n*	Pooled OR (CI 95%)	Meta‐regression
			p‐value†	% Explained heterogeneity‡
Study design
RCT	2	1.06 (0.82–1.36)	index	40.2
Longitudinal	14	2.28 (1.78–2.93)	0.025
Cross‐sectional	24	2.78 (2.44–3.15)	0.003
Sample size
>1000	15	2.30(1.83–2.88)	index	1.5
301–1000	15	2.96 (2.46–3.55)	0.116
≤ 300	10	2.18(1.47–3.22)	0.001
Exposure measurement (pacifier)
Use among children under 4 or 6 months	24	2.62 (2.30 ‐ 2.99)	index	31.7
Use of 2–4 months	8	2.10 (1.30–3.40)	0.183
Use before 6th week	5	2.05 (1.47–2.86)	0.221
Use before the second week / hospital discharge	3	3.27(1.90–5.64)	0.414
Outcome measurement (EBF interruption)
Among those younger than 4 or 6 months	25	2.54 (2.17–2.97)	index	8.4
Between 2 and 4 months	11	2.35(1.59–3.46)	0.593
Before the 6 week	3	1.90 (1.39–2.60)	0.303
Hospital discharge	1	4.97 (3.83–6.45)	0.134
Setting
High income country/multicentric	12	1.93 (1.50–2.48)	index	2.8
Middle−/Low‐income country	28	2.79 (2.37–3.29)	0.020
Publication year
≤2009	22	2.57 (2.15–3.08)	index	0.04
>2009	18	2.36 (1.89–2.95)	0.567
Publication language
English	17	2.25 (1.82–2.77)	index	−2.5
Portuguese	22	2.66 (2.21–3.21)	0.275
Other	1	4.07(1.58–10.49)	0.383
Effect size
Adjusted	17	2.50 (2.06–3.03)	index	−11.0
Crude	23	2.45 (1.99–2.99)	0.812
Quality score
Strong	7	2.25 (1.40–3.61)	index	5.3
Moderate	13	2.19 (1.69–2.83)	0.966
Weak	20	2.77 (2.34–3.28)	0.230
Total	40	2.48 (2.16–2.85)

^* number of studies;

^† p‐value of the meta‐regression;

^‡ R² adj (proportion of variance between studies)