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Breastfeeding and motor development: A longitudinal cohort study

Tegan Grace1, Wendy Oddy2, Max Bulsara3

  • 1School of Health Science, University of Notre Dame Australia, 19 Mouat St, Fremantle, WA 6959, Australia.

Human Movement Science
|November 9, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Longer breastfeeding durations are linked to better motor skills in children through adolescence. This study highlights the lasting impact of early feeding practices on motor development, independent of social factors.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Neuroscience
  • Public Health Nutrition

Background:

  • Extensive research supports early feeding's impact on cognitive, immune, and mental health.
  • Longitudinal data on breastfeeding duration and motor development is limited.
  • This study investigates motor development at 10, 14, and 17 years.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between breastfeeding duration and motor development.
  • To assess motor outcomes at multiple time points in childhood and adolescence.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Western Australian Pregnancy (Raine) Study (n=2868).
  • Assessed motor proficiency using the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development (MAND).
  • Employed linear mixed models, adjusting for covariates, to analyze breastfeeding duration (<6 months vs. ⩾6 months).

Main Results:

  • Breastfeeding for ⩾6 months showed a positive association with improved motor development.
  • This association persisted at ages 10, 14, and 17 years (p=0.019, β=1.38).
  • Results remained significant after adjusting for child's sex, maternal age, alcohol intake, family income, hypertensive status, gestational stress, and delivery mode.

Conclusions:

  • Early breastfeeding duration significantly influences motor development.
  • Positive effects on motor skills extend into late childhood and adolescence.
  • These findings are independent of sociodemographic factors.
Abstract

Keywords:
BreastfeedingChild developmentMotor developmentRaine Study

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