Objectives: We aimed to establish associations of duration of breast-feeding with mean BMI and waist circumference, as well as the likelihood of being overweight/obese, during early childhood. Design: Cross-sectional, population-based study. Height, weight and waist circumference were measured and BMI calculated. Interviewer-administered questionnaire determined whether the child was ever breast-fed and the duration of breast-feeding. Setting: Sydney, Australia. Subjects: Infants and pre-school children (n 2092) aged 1-6 years were examined in the Sydney Paediatric Eye Disease Study during [2007][2008][2009]. Results: Of the children aged 1-6 years, 1270 had been breast-fed compared with 822 who were never breast-fed. After multivariable adjustment, 1-6-year-old children who were ever breast-fed compared with those who were not had significantly lower BMI, 16?7 (SE 0?1) kg/m 2 v. 17?1 (SE 0?2) kg/m 2 (P 5 0?01). Decreasing BMI was associated with increasing duration of breast-feeding (P trend 5 0?002). After multivariable adjustment, each month increase in breastfeeding was associated with an average BMI decrease of 0?04 kg/m 2 (P 5 0?002) and 0?03 kg/m 2 (P 5 0?03) among children aged 1-2 years and 3-4 years, respectively. In 1-2-year-old children, each month increase in breast-feeding duration was associated with a 0?06 cm decrease in waist circumference (P 5 0?04). Significant associations were not observed among 5-6-year-old children. Children who were ever breast-fed v. those never breast-fed were less likely to be overweight/obese 95 % CI 0?36, 0?83). Conclusions: We demonstrated a modest influence of breast-feeding on children's BMI during early childhood, particularly among those aged less than 5 years.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.