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Published on: February 2, 2017
Age at Introduction to Solid Foods and Child Obesity at 6 Years
Chloe M Barrera1, Cria G Perrine1, Ruowei Li1
1Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta, GA.
Insights
Introducing solid foods early (<4 months) was not linked to childhood obesity after accounting for other factors. Breastfeeding duration also did not modify this association, suggesting timing alone may not predict obesity risk.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Nutrition Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Epidemiological studies suggest a link between the timing of solid food introduction and later childhood obesity.
- This association may differ based on infant feeding type (breastfed vs. formula-fed).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the timing of solid food introduction and obesity at 6 years of age.
- To determine if breastfeeding duration modifies this relationship.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 1181 infants in the Infant Feeding Practices Study II and Year 6 Follow Up studies.
- Categorization of solid food introduction timing: <4 months, 4-<6 months, and ≥6 months.
- Multivariable logistic regression used to assess the association and interaction with breastfeeding duration (≥4 months vs. <4 months).
Main Results:
- The initial unadjusted analysis showed higher odds of obesity for infants introduced to solids <4 months (OR=1.66), but this was not significant after covariate adjustment (OR=1.18).
- Introduction of solids at ≥6 months was not associated with obesity.
- No significant interaction was found between breastfeeding duration and early solid food introduction concerning subsequent obesity.
Conclusions:
- In this sample, the timing of solid food introduction was not associated with obesity at 6 years of age.
- Findings contrast with some previous studies, highlighting the need for further research in larger populations to clarify the relationship.
Background:
Epidemiological evidence suggests that timing of introduction of solid foods may be associated with subsequent obesity, and the association may vary by whether an infant is breastfed or formula-fed.
Methods:
We included 1181 infants who participated in the Infant Feeding Practices Study II (IFPS II) and the Year 6 Follow Up (Y6FU) study. Data from IFPS II were used to calculate the primary exposure and timing of solid food introduction (<4, 4-<6, and ≥6 months), and data from Y6FU were used to calculate the primary outcome and obesity at 6 years of age (BMI ≥95th percentile). We used multivariable logistic regression to assess the association between timing of the introduction of solids and obesity at 6 years and test whether this association was modified by breastfeeding duration (breastfed for 4 months vs. not).
Results:
Prevalence of obesity in our sample was 12.0%. The odds of obesity was higher among infants introduced to solids <4 months compared to those introduced at 4-<6 months (odds ratio [OR] = 1.66; 95% CI, 1.15, 2.40) in unadjusted analysis; however, this relationship was no longer significant after adjustment for covariates (OR = 1.18; 95% CI, 0.79, 1.77). Introduction of solids ≥6 months was not associated with obesity. We found no interaction between breastfeeding duration and early solid food introduction and subsequent obesity.
Conclusions:
Timing of introduction of solid foods was not associated with child obesity at 6 years in this sample. Given the inconsistency in findings with other studies, further studies in larger populations may be needed.
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