Abstract
Background: Obesity is a major public health crisis among both children and adults and contributes to significant physical, psychological, and economic burden. We aim to investigate the effect of duration of breastfeeding on excessive weight and obesity at 6 years of age.Subjects/Methods: Data on breastfeeding and child anthropometric measurements were collected in a birth-cohort study in Murcia, Spain (n = 350). Breastfeeding status and body mass index (BMI) were established according to WHO definitions. Other factors potentially related to children's weight were considered. Multiple log-linear and ordinal regressions were used to analyze the effects of breastfeeding on overweight and obesity when considering potential confounders.Results: 33% and 17.3% of children in the study were of excess weight and obesity, respectively. Univariate predictors of BMI in children aged 6 were as follows: pregestational maternal BMI (kg/m2) (R2 = 0.127, p < 0.01); full breastfeeding (weeks) R2 = −0.035, p < 0.01); infant weight gain (kg) (R2 = 0.348, p < 0.01); and maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy (g/day) (R2 = 0.266, p < 0.01) at age 6. In the ordinal logistic regression, full breastfeeding was associated with a significant decrease in obesity −0.052 (95% CI, −0.10 to −0.003).Conclusions: The delay of bottle feeding introduction may have a protective effect against obesity at 6 years of age. Our findings reinforce the need for greater support of breastfeeding and to promote a healthy environment and antipoverty interventions during pregnancy and infancy, alongside other strategies for obesity prevention.
Highlights
Obesity is a major public health crisis among both children and adults and contributes to significant physical, psychological, and economic burden.[1]
The delay of bottle feeding introduction may have a protective effect against obesity at 6 years of age
Study Participants Murcia is a European region located in southeast Spain, with a total population of 1,472,000 inhabitants (259,083 < 15 years) in 2013.31 The study was conducted within four health areas (1, 6, 7, and 9) whose reference maternity hospital is the Clinical University Hospital ‘‘Virgen de la Arrixaca’’ with a reference population of 747,233 persons and 8150 newborns per year
Summary
Obesity is a major public health crisis among both children and adults and contributes to significant physical, psychological, and economic burden.[1] The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing in both low- and high-income countries.[2,3] In 2010, around one in three children in the EU aged 6–9 years were overweight or obese and rates have been increasing since.[4] In Spain from 2011 to 2012, the prevalence of childhood excess weight and obesity was 29.7% and 9%, respectively.[5] Obesity at an early age often continues into adulthood and confers a major risk for insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.[6,7,8,9]. Multiple log-linear and ordinal regressions were used to analyze the effects of breastfeeding on overweight and obesity when considering potential confounders
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