Parental weight and its relation to infant feeding patterns and infant obesity

Abstract

Mother-infant feeding behaviour as a possible determinant of obesity was studied. Seventy-eight healthy primiparous couples and their newborn children were divided into three groups according to parents' weight status (normal weight parents; one overweight and one normal weight parent; both parents overweight). Infants' weight and length measurements were obtained at birth and at 6 months of age. Mother-infant dyads were observed during feeding sessions at 55–77 hr after birth, at 2 weeks, 1, 2, 4 and 6 months post-partum. Feeding behaviour of mother and infant did not differ, nor did mother-infant interaction differ between the three groups throughout the observation period. However, infant weight status, although not different at birth, differed significantly at 6 months of age. Bartholomew's test showed the proportion of infants ≥ 90%ile increased significantly from infants of normal weight parents to infants of one overweight and one normal weight parent, to infants both parents of whom were overweight ( χ 2 = 6.904, c = 0.44, P ≤ 0.01). While data of this study do not show any behavioural differences between overweight and normal weight parents and their offspring, they confirm results reported by other researchers showing children of overweight parents at risk of becoming overweight at 6 months of age as well.