Impact Of Infant Feeding Practices Research Articles

Infant feeding practices and sleep development in pre-schoolers from the EDEN mother-child cohort.

Sleep problems affect 20%-30% of toddlers and preschoolers. Few longitudinal studies focused on the impact of infant feeding practices on sleep. We aimed to study the associations between feeding practices up to 8 months and trajectories of sleep quantity or quality from 2 to 5-6 years. Analyses included 1,028 children from the EDEN mother-child cohort. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaires. Associations between feeding practices (breastfeeding, complementary feeding, use of thickened infant formula, night feeding) and sleep trajectories (sleep-onset difficulties, night waking, nighttime in bed) were analysed by multiple logistic regressions. Predominant breastfeeding for more than 4 months was associated with lower risk for belonging to the persistent sleep-onset difficulties trajectory. Night feeding at 4 months or at 2 years old was associated with higher risk for belonging to the persistent sleep-onset difficulties trajectory, and night feeding at 8 months was associated with higher risk for night waking and higher risk for short nighttime in bed. Early introduction (< 4 months) to complementary foods (excluding baby cereals) was related to lower risk for short nighttime in bed. Use of baby cereals or thickened infant formula was related neither to sleep quality nor to sleep quantity. In conclusion, infant feeding practices are associated with sleep trajectories in preschoolers, with notably a potential protective role of breastfeeding. Further researches are needed to clarify the mechanisms of these relationships.

The impact of early growth patterns and infant feeding on body composition at 3 years of age.

Early excessive weight gain is positively associated with later obesity, and yet the effect of weight gain during specific periods and the impact of infant feeding practices are debated. The objective of the present study was to examine the impact of weight gain in periods of early childhood on body composition at 3 years, and whether infant feeding modified the relationship between early growth and body composition at 3 years. We studied 233 children from the prospective cohort study, SKOT (in Danish: Småbørns Kost og Trivsel). Birth weight z-scores (BWZ) and change in weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ) from 0 to 5, 5 to 9, 9 to 18 and 18 to 36 months were analysed for relations with body composition (anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance) at 3 years by multivariate regression analysis. BWZ and change in WAZ from 0 to 5 months were positively associated with BMI, fat mass index (FMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI) at 3 years. Full breastfeeding for 6 months (compared to less than 1 month) eliminated the effect of early growth (P = 0.01). Full breastfeeding for 6 months (compared to less than 1 month) also eliminated the positive relation between BWZ and FMI (P = 0.009). No effect modification of infant feeding was found for FFMI. In conclusion, high birth weight and rapid growth from 0 to 5 months were associated with increased FMI and FFMI at 3 years. Longer duration of full breastfeeding reduced the effect of birth weight and early weight gain on fat mass.

Socioeconomic status, infant feeding practices and early childhood obesity†

Children from low socioeconomic households are at greater risk of obesity. As breastfeeding can protect against child obesity, disadvantaged infants are less likely to breastfeed relative to more advantaged children. Whether infant feeding patterns, as well as other maternal characteristics mediate the association between social class and obesity has not been established in available research. Examine the impact of infant feeding practices on child obesity and identify the mechanisms that link socioeconomic status (SES) with child obesity. Based on a nationally representative longitudinal survey (ECLS-B) of early childhood (n = 8030), we examine how breastfeeding practices, the early introduction of solid foods and putting an infant to bed with a bottle mediate the relationship between social class and early childhood obesity relative to the mediating influence of other maternal characteristics (BMI, age at birth, smoking, depression and daycare use). Infants predominantly fed formula for the first 6 months were about 2.5 times more likely to be obese at 24 months of age relative to infants predominantly fed breast milk. The early introduction of solid foods (< 4 months) and putting the child to bed with a bottle also increased the likelihood of obesity. Unhealthy infant feeding practices were the primary mechanism mediating the relationship between SES and early childhood obesity. Results are consistent across measures of child obesity although the effect size of infant feeding practices varies. The encouragement and support of breastfeeding and other healthy feeding practices are especially important for low socioeconomic children who are at increased risk of early childhood obesity. Targeting socioeconomically disadvantaged mothers for breastfeeding support and for infant-led feeding strategies may reduce the negative association between SES and child obesity. The implications are discussed in terms of policy and practice.

Associations of Infant Feeding Practices and Picky Eating Behaviors of Preschool Children

Picky eating behaviors are prevalent during childhood and are often linked to nutritional problems. However, information on the determinants of picky eating behaviors during infancy, when food acceptance patterns develop, is scarce. This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of infant feeding practices on the development of picky eating behaviors during preschool years. Baseline survey data from the Synergistic Theory and Research on Obesity and Nutrition Group Kids (STRONG Kids) program were used for this retrospective data analysis. Primary caregiver-child dyads were recruited from child-care centers in Eastern Illinois between February and July of 2009. A total of 129 self-reported responses from mothers of preschool-aged children were analyzed. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between infant feeding practices and picky eating behaviors. Children who were introduced to complementary foods before 6 months of age had 2.5 times higher odds of developing food neophobia and limited variety of foods (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01 to 5.93 and 1.06 to 5.73, respectively). Children who were breastfed exclusively for 6 months had lower odds of developing a preference for specific food-preparation methods by 78% (95% CI: 19% to 94%), food rejection by 81% (95% CI: 31% to 94%), and food neophobia by 75% (95% CI: 11% to 93%). Breastfeeding and introduction of complementary foods after 6 months of age reduced the odds of picky eating during early childhood. This study documents an association between infant-feeding practices and the development of picky eating behaviors in early childhood.

Impact of Infant Feeding Practices on Caries Experience of Preschool Children

This study investigated the association between breastfeeding, bottle feeding, night feeding, age, and sex of the child on the caries experience. Information was collected from the mothers of preschool children. Information included the age of the child, sex of the child, form of breastfeeding (whether exclusive, almost exclusive or mixed), duration of breastfeeding, night feeding habits of the child, and duration and content of bottle feeding. Intraoral examination was done to assess the dmft. The impact of the variables on the caries experience (rampant caries, no caries and the dmft) was then assessed. The duration of breast feeding (p = 0.002), and form of breast feeding (p = 0.03) were significant predictors of the dmft. The dmft was highest in children who were breastfed for longer than 18 months and highest for children who were exclusively breastfed. There is a strong association between rampant caries and duration of breast feeding only (p < 0.001). The risk of having rampant caries increases by 10% (p = 0.012) with every month increase in the duration of breastfeeding. The duration of breastfeeding increased the risk for rampant caries in preschool children in Nigeria. The longer the duration, the higher the risk for caries.

Impact of Infant Feeding Practices on Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is a complex disease influenced by genetic and environmental factors and their interactions. The current surge in childhood obesity in the United States is attributable to an interaction between a genetic predisposition toward obesity and a permissive environment. Several recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been published on the association between breast-feeding and childhood obesity. In these analyses, adjustment for confounding factors attenuated or nullified the protective effect of breast-feeding on later obesity. The Viva La Familia Study was designed to identify genetic and environmental factors affecting obesity and its comorbidities in 1030 Hispanic children from 319 families. Odds ratios for potential risk factors associated with childhood overweight were computed using binary logistic regression for panel data. Early infant-feeding practices were not significant. Salient independent risk factors for childhood obesity in this cohort of Hispanic children were age, birth weight, maternal obesity, paternal obesity, number of children in the family, and the percentage of awake time spent in sedentary activity. Breast-feeding may have a small protective effect against childhood obesity, although residual confounding may exist. Human milk is exquisitely fitted for optimal infant growth and development and may uniquely modulate neuroendocrine and immunologic pathways involved in the regulation of body weight. Nevertheless, other genetic and environmental determinants such as socioeconomic status, parental obesity, smoking, birth weight, and rapid infancy weight gain far supersede infant-feeding practices as risk factors for childhood obesity.

Effects of infant feeding practice on weight gain from birth to 3 years

Objective:The influence of infant feeding practices on weight gain during childhood remains unresolved, with few studies adjusting appropriately for confounding factors. This study examined the effect of breastfeeding initiation, breastfeeding...

Impact of infant feeding practices on the risk of mother to child transmission of HIV-1 in Zimbabwe.

To determine the magnitude of the contribution of infant feeding practices on the risk of mother to child transmission (MTCT) of the HIV-1 infection. Prospective data from birth until 24 months of age on 236 infants born to HIV-positive mothers in Harare, Zimbabwe was analysed for this study. However, because only a small proportion of infants (2.1%) were HIV-1 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tested shortly after birth, the PCR results for infants at birth were not incorporated into our analyses. The contribution of infant feeding practices on the risk of MTCT of HIV-1 was assessed using Cox Proportional Hazards Regression Models. The incidence of HIV-1 through MTCT was greatest among breastfed (8.33 per 100 child-months) and mixed fed (8.64 per 100 child-months) infants by 3 months. After adjustment for maternal age, marital status, education and infant antibody HIV-1 status, the cumulative relative risk of MTCT of HIV-1 was 4.19 (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.44, 5.09) among breastfed and 1.10 (95% CI 0.97, 1. 25) among mixed fed infants. The overall MTCT rate of HIV-1 in this study was 40.3%. Breastfed infants had the greatest cumulative relative risk of MTCT of HIV-1, followed by mixed fed infants, with the highest incidences occurring within the first 3 months.