Delayed introduction of solid feeding reduces child overweight and obesity at 10 years

• Published in: International Journal of Obesity Vol. 34; no. 10; pp. 1475 - 1479
• Main Authors: Seach, K.A, Dharmage, S.C, Lowe, A.J, Dixon, J.B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.10.2010; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/443/319/1488/393; 692/700/1720; Age; Age Factors; Biological and medical sciences; Body Mass Index; Body Weight - physiology; Breast feeding; Breast Feeding - epidemiology; breast milk; Breastfeeding & lactation; Child; Child Development; child nutrition; Child, Preschool; children; cohort studies; Diabetes; Epidemiology; Female; Food; General aspects; Health aspects; Health care; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Humans; Infant; infant feeding; Infant Food - adverse effects; Infant Food - standards; infant foods; Infant, Newborn; Infants; Internal Medicine; Logistic Models; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Nutrition research; Obesity; Obesity - epidemiology; Obesity - etiology; Obesity - prevention & control; Obesity in children; Overweight; Parental influences; pediatric-highlight; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Pregnancy; Prevention; protective effect; Public Health; Regression analysis; risk assessment; Risk Factors; Smoking; Socioeconomics; solid foods; Time Factors; Tobacco, tobacco smoking; Toxicology; Weaning; Australia; Victoria Australia; educational diet; body weight; nutrition; complementary feeding; diet; smoking; Human; Obesity; Nutrition; Body weight; Nutrition disorder; Tobacco smoking; Metabolic diseases; Corporal biometry; Delay; Solid; Feeding; Overweight; Tobacco; Diet; Education; Child; Nutritional status
• ISSN: 0307-0565; 1476-5497
• DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2010.101

Background: The function that the timing of introduction of solid foods may have in the development of child obesity has not been adequately explored, either as a potential confounder of the relationship between breastfeeding and child obesity, or as an independent modifiable risk factor. Objective: To determine the association between infant feeding practices and child overweight/obesity. Patients and Methods: Six hundred and twenty subjects were recruited antenatally from 1990 to 1994. A total of 18 telephone interviews over the first 2 years of life recorded infant feeding practices. At mean age of 10 years, height and weight were measured for 307 subjects. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine whether infant feeding practices (duration of exclusive and any breastfeeding, and age at introduction of solid foods) were associated with odds of being overweight/obese (internationally age- and sex-standardized body mass index category) at age 10 years, after adjustment for confounders. Results: Delayed introduction of solid foods was associated with reduced odds of being overweight/obese at age 10 years, after controlling for socioeconomic status, parental smoking and childcare attendance (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=0.903 per week, 95% CI=0.841-0.970, P=0.005). Antenatal parental smoking was associated with overweight/obesity at age 10 years (aOR=3.178, 95% CI=1.643-6.147, P=0.001). Duration of exclusive or any breastfeeding was not associated with the outcome. Conclusions: Delayed introduction of solids is associated with reduced odds of child overweight/obesity. Wider promotion of current infant feeding guidelines could have a significant impact on the rates of child overweight and obesity.