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Breast-feeding and overweight in Singapore school children

Charumathi Sabanayagam1, Anoop Shankar, Yap-Seng Chong

  • 1Department of Community, Occupational, and Family Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.

Pediatrics International : Official Journal of the Japan Pediatric Society
|July 25, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Breast-feeding was not associated with overweight or obesity in Singaporean children aged 10-12. This study found no significant links between infant feeding practices and childhood obesity in this Asian population.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Public Health
  • Childhood Obesity

Background:

  • Inconsistent findings exist regarding breast-feeding and childhood overweight/obesity in Western countries.
  • Limited data are available on this association within Asian populations.
  • This study addresses the gap by examining Singaporean children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the association between breast-feeding and overweight/obesity.
  • To investigate the impact of breast-feeding type and duration on childhood weight status.
  • Focus on a cohort of 10-12-year-old children in Singapore.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from 797 children (49% girls, 76% Chinese) in the Singapore Cohort Study of the Risk Factors for Myopia (SCORM).
  • Defined overweight/obesity using age- and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) cut-offs based on International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria.
  • Analyzed associations adjusting for potential confounders.

Main Results:

  • The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 22.5% in the study cohort.
  • Overall, breast-feeding showed no significant association with overweight/obesity.
  • Multivariable analysis revealed no significant odds ratios for overweight/obesity based on breast-feeding duration or exclusivity.

Conclusions:

  • No significant associations were detected between breast-feeding (type or duration) and overweight/obesity.
  • Findings suggest that breast-feeding may not be a significant predictor of childhood overweight/obesity in this Asian cohort.
  • Further research may be needed to explore other factors influencing childhood obesity in diverse populations.
Abstract

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