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Breastfeeding helps explain racial and socioeconomic status disparities in adolescent adiposity

Jessica G Woo1, Lawrence M Dolan, Ardythe L Morrow

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave, MLC 5041, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039, USA. jessica.woo@cchmc.org

Pediatrics
|March 4, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Breastfeeding for over four months is linked to lower adolescent adiposity, independent of race and socioeconomic status. This duration partially explains how social disadvantage increases obesity risk, suggesting longer breastfeeding can reduce disparities.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Breastfeeding is suggested to protect against later obesity, but this association varies across racial and socioeconomic groups.
  • Differences in breastfeeding practices exist among various racial and socioeconomic strata.
  • The mediating role of breastfeeding in the relationship between race/socioeconomic status and adolescent adiposity requires formal testing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether breastfeeding mediates the association between race and socioeconomic status and adolescent adiposity.
  • To examine the independent effects of breastfeeding duration on adolescent body mass index (BMI) z scores and obesity prevalence.
  • To determine if breastfeeding partially explains disparities in adolescent adiposity linked to social disadvantage.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from 739 Black and White adolescents aged 10-19 years.
  • Assessment of parental education as a measure of socioeconomic status and infant breastfeeding status.
  • Measurement of adolescent adiposity using BMI z scores (linear regression) and BMI percentile categories (logistic regression).

Main Results:

  • Black adolescents and those with less educated parents were less likely to be breastfed for over 4 months.
  • Breastfeeding for over 4 months was independently associated with lower BMI z scores and reduced odds of obesity (BMI ≥ 85th/95th percentile).
  • Including breastfeeding duration reduced racial and socioeconomic disparities in adolescent BMI z scores by 25%, indicating partial mediation.

Conclusions:

  • Extended breastfeeding (over 4 months) is associated with lower adolescent adiposity, irrespective of race or parental education.
  • Breastfeeding duration partially mediates the link between social disadvantage and increased adiposity.
  • Promoting longer breastfeeding durations may lower adolescent adiposity across all groups and mitigate socioeconomic disparities in obesity.
Abstract

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