A study of early complementary feeding determinants in the Republic of Ireland based on a cross-sectional analysis of the Growing Up in Ireland infant cohort

Abstract

Objective: Early complementary feeding has been shown to increase the risk of overweight, obesity and chronic diseases later in life. Poor compliance with current guidelines on complementary feeding has been reported by Irish studies. The aim of the present paper is to identify predictors of early complementary feeding in order to help health professionals target population groups in greater need of dietary intervention as well as to provide effective advice. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of the national, longitudinal Growing Up in Ireland study. Setting: Data were derived from the first wave (2007)(2008) of the Growing Up in Ireland infant cohort. Subjects: A cohort of mothers (n 11 134) from the Republic of Ireland, interviewed when their infants were 9 months of age. Results: Of the infants, 1469 (13?5 %) had been regularly taking solids in the period between 12 and 16 weeks; this percentage increased to 47?0 % of the sample in the period between 16 and 20 weeks. Timing of formula feeding commencement, high maternal BMI and choosing a relative as the infant's minder were strongly associated with early introduction of solids both in bivariate and multivariate analysis. Those infants who started formula feeding at .4 months were 88?4% less likely to be introduced to solids early compared with those who started at ,2 months (OR 5 0?116; 95% CI 0?072, 0?186; P , 0?001).Conclusions: The results demonstrate that biological, social and behavioural aspects exert an important role in infant feeding practices. These findings are relevant to the design of policies and intervention programmes aimed at educating parents. Keywords Complementary feedingInfant's diet Early weaningThe European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) defines complementary foods as other solids and liquids introduced into the infant diet apart from breast milk or formula milk (1) . The introduction of complementary foods into an infant's diet is an important process not only for developmental and growth reasons, but also because of its potential long-term effects on health (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11) . Providing a balanced diet while adhering to introduction times recommended by guidelines is pivotal during this period of rapid growth, not only because of the high probability of nutritional deficiencies but also because early complementary feeding has been shown by some studies to increase the risk of overweight, obesity and chronic diseases later in life (5,6,(8)(9)(10) . Moreover, the transition from milk to solid foods is a crucial point to establish life-long feeding patterns (11)(12)(13) . However, poor adherence to recommendations on the introduction of complementary foods has been reported in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) as well as internationally (14)(15)(16)(17)(18) . WHO recommends exclusive breast-feeding during the first 6 months of life of the infant, with the gradual introduction of solids after 6 months (19) . The Department of Health and Children in the ROI updated its advice ...

Determinants for early introduction of complementary foods in Australian infants: findings from the HSHK birth cohort study

“…This suggests that very early introduction of solids might be influenced by some cultural and ethnic factors. Ethnic and cultural associations of early introduction of solids have been reported in the literature [16,35,36]. An earlier study on infant feeding practices in Sydney found that Vietnamese-born women had optimal infant feeding practices as a result of remaining in a close community network maintaining traditional customs [37].…”

Introdução de alimentos não recomendados no primeiro ano de vida e fatores associados em crianças de baixo nível socioeconômico

“…Maternal breast milk alone is sufficient to meet the infant's nutritional needs in the first six months of life, and starting at this age the introduction of complementary feeding is necessary to supply adequate nutrients for the child's healthy growth and development 1 . However, worldwide, only 36% of children from birth to five months of age are exclusively breastfed 2 , and the prevalence of early introduction of solid foods ranges from 40.4% to 83.5% in developed countries 3,4,5,6 .…”

A collaborative approach to developing sustainable behaviour change interventions for childhood obesity prevention: Development of the Choosing Healthy Eating for Infant Health (CHErIsH) intervention and implementation strategy

“…As outlined in the introduction, a substantial proportion of infants internationally are introduced to inappropriate foods before the recommended time (Castro et al , ; Inoue & Binns, ; O'Donovan et al , ; Tarrant et al , ). We therefore defined the problem in behavioural terms as the practice of suboptimal infant feeding behaviours by parents of infants aged 0–2.…”

“…We used existing data regarding current infant feeding practices and introduction of solid foods (Bennett, ; Castro, Kearney, & Layte, ; safefood, ; Tarrant et al , ) to understand and define the problem in behavioural terms. Selection and specification of the parental behaviours relevant to improving infant feeding, as well as the HCP behaviours needed to facilitate these behaviours in the intended primary care vaccination visit setting, were achieved by exploring national and international infant feeding recommendations (Fewtrell et al , ; Food Safety Authority of Ireland, ; Health Service Executive, ; Healthy Ireland, ; World Health Organisation, ) in conjunction with findings from our evidence sources (Table ).…”