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Feeding practices in infancy and prevalence of obesity in preschool children
Insights
Introducing solid foods early is common, but timing doesn't impact childhood obesity. Breastfeeding duration also showed no link to obesity prevalence in this study.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Childhood Obesity Research
- Infant Feeding Practices
Background:
- Early introduction of solid foods is prevalent in infants.
- Breastfeeding practices vary, with longer durations often delaying solid food introduction.
- Understanding the relationship between infant feeding and long-term health outcomes like obesity is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the timing of solid food introduction and childhood obesity.
- To determine if breastfeeding status or duration influences the prevalence of obesity in children.
Main Methods:
- Parents of 262 infants were interviewed regarding feeding practices.
- Infant age at solid food introduction and breastfeeding status were recorded.
- Childhood heights and weights were collected at a 4-year follow-up.
Main Results:
- Over 80% of infants received solid foods within the first two months.
- Breast-fed infants were generally introduced to solids later than formula-fed infants.
- No significant relationship was found between the timing of solid food introduction and obesity prevalence.
- Neither breastfeeding itself nor its duration correlated with childhood obesity.
Conclusions:
- The timing of solid food introduction in infancy does not appear to be a predictor of childhood obesity.
- Breastfeeding practices, including duration, were not associated with the prevalence of obesity in the studied cohort.
Abstract:
The parents of 262 infants were interviewed. The age of each infant at the introduction of solid foods and whether he/she was breast fed were recorded. Four years later, as many as possible of the heights and the weights of the children were collected. More than 80% of the parents introduced solid foods during the first 2 months of life. Breast-fed infants were given solid foods later than formula-fed infants for the most part. The longer the duration of breast feeding, the later solids were likely to be introduced. However, the time of the introduction of solids was not related to the prevalence of obesity. Neither breast feeding itself nor the duration of breast feeding related to the prevalence of obesity in the children studied.