The Impact of Breastfeeding on Early Childhood Obesity: Evidence From the National Survey of Children's Health

Abstract

Purpose. To investigate how breastfeeding initiation and duration affect the likelihood of being overweight and obese in children aged 2 to 5.Design. Cross-sectional data from the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health.Setting. Rural and urban areas of the United States.Subjects. Households where at least one member was between the ages of 2 and 5 (sample size 8207).Measures. Parent-reported body mass index, breastfeeding initiation and duration, covariates (gender, family income and education, ethnicity, child care attendance, maternal health and physical activity, residential area).Analysis. Partial proportional odds models.Results. In early childhood, breastfed children had 5.3% higher probability of being normal weight (p ¼ .002) and 8.9% (p , .001) lower probability of being obese compared to children who had never been breastfed. Children who had been breastfed for less than 3 months had 3.1% lower probability of being normal weight (p ¼ .013) and 4.7% higher probability of being obese (p ¼ .013) with respect to children who had been breastfed for 3 months and above.Conclusion. Study findings suggest that length of breastfeeding, whether exclusive or not, may be associated with lower risk of obesity in early childhood. However, caution is needed in generalizing results because of the limitations of the analysis. Based on findings from this study and others, breastfeeding promotion policies can cite the potential protective effect that breastfeeding has on weight in early childhood. (Am J Health Promot 0000;00[0]:000-000.)

Household income and maternal education in early childhood and risk of overweight and obesity in late childhood: Findings from seven birth cohort studies in six high-income countries

“…However, in previous Scandinavian studies of children aged 7 years from Denmark, and aged 15–16 years from Norway, maternal education was found to be more closely associated with obesity than income [ 28 , 29 ]. Studies from the US (all using highest education of either parent) found a stronger association with income than with education [ 30 ], or strong association with both measures of SES [ 31 ].…”

Let’s Talk About Breastfeeding: The Importance of Delivering a Message in a Home Visiting Program

“…The benefits of breastfeeding are well-documented for both mothers and children. Breastfed infants are at lower risk for sudden infant death syndrome, 1 more likely to be protected against infections during infancy, 2 less likely to be obese, 3,4 and more likely to have higher IQs. 5 Mothers who breastfeed have a decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancers, better birth spacing, and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.…”

Multilevel analysis of early initiation of breastfeeding in Ethiopia

“…Moreover, studies in different parts of the world revealed that delayed breastfeeding increases the risk of mental and physical problems at different stages of life (8). Neonatal morbidity and mortality in infants who did not feed breast milk within one hour are increased by threefold when compared to infants who fed breast milk within one hour of birth (10)(11)(12).…”