Effects of infant feeding practices and maternal characteristics on early childhood obesity

Introduction. Early childhood obesity is a serious health problem not only because it causes serious health problems in children, but also because it poses a risk of obesity in the later stages of life. Objective. The aim of our study was to determine the effect of feeding (breastfeeding times, exclusive breastfeeding times, instances of night-timebottle feeding) and maternal characteristics (weight gain during pregnancy, BMI, socioeconomic status) on childhood overweight and obesity in children up to 36 months old. Population and methods: Babies born in the province of Rize (Turkey) between the dates of November 1, 2013 and September 30, 2014 whom birth weights between 2500gr and 4500gr participated in our prospective cohort study. The present study lasted for 3 years and 11 interviews were conducted with each mother of the infants during this period. Relationship between obesity or overweight and feeding practices evaluated into two groups according to their feeding practices. Results. 294 healthy children were included. Mean weight of the babies at 36 months were 14.6 kilograms, 6 babies (2 % ) were overweight, 20 babies (7 % ) were obese, and 268 babies (91 %) were at an normal weight. 82 babies (21 %) exclusive breastfed less than six months and 212 babies (55 %) exclusive breastfed six months or more. Overweight and obesity is less frequent among children who were exclusively breastfed for at least six months (p<0.05). Conclusion. We concluded.that exclusive breastfeeding time and maternal obesity have a significant effect on childhood overweight and obesity.