Online Program

282975
Are milk feeding methods in early infancy associated with maternal feeding styles and children's eating behaviors at 6 years old?


Monday, November 4, 2013 : 5:30 p.m. - 5:50 p.m.

Ruowei Li, MD, PhD, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Kelley S. Scanlon, PhD, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Ashleigh L. May, PhD, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Leann Birch, PhD, Department of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University, Philadelphia, PA
Background: New evidence suggests that behavioral mechanisms play a role in the association between breastfeeding and childhood obesity. The purpose of this study is to examine whether milk feeding method in infancy predicts maternal feeding styles (MFS) and children's eating behavior (CEB) at 6 years old. Methods: Linking data from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II to a 6 year follow-up, we assessed the association of MFS and CEB with milk feeding during the first 6 months of life. Bottle feeding intensity was defined as percent of milk feeds given by bottle regardless of its milk content. Breastmilk feeding intensity was defined as percent of milk feeds being breast milk regardless of pumped or at the breast. Both were categorized by tertile as low, medium, and high intensity. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the likelihood of MFS and CEB after controlling for confounders. Results: Among 985 mother-child pairs, mothers of infants fed by high (AOR=1.97; 95% CI=1.37, 2.83) or medium (AOR=1.64; 95% CI=1.01, 2.70) bottle feeding intensity were more likely to report “especially careful to make sure my child eats enough” than low bottle feeding. Children fed by high bottle feeding intensity (AOR=0.69; 95% CI=0.50, 0.96) were less likely to be reported as “enjoying a wide variety of foods” as compared to low bottle feeding intensity. Similar associations were observed for low breastmilk feeding intensity with both MFS and CEB comparing to the reference of high breastmilk feeding intensity. Conclusions: Milk feeding methods in infancy were associated with certain attributes of MFS and CEB at age 6 years.

Learning Areas:

Epidemiology
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Define milk feeding practices in infancy, maternal feeding style, and children's eating behavior; Describe how infant feeding practices is associated with maternal feeding style and children's eating behavior at year 6; Analyze the data from a longitudinal study for the long-term outcomes of infant feeding practices on maternal feeding style and children's eating behavior.

Keyword(s): Breastfeeding

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been a senior epidemiologist at the CDC for 15 years and published more than 60 peer-reviewed research papers on infant feeding and maternal/child heath. I have been a project officer for a dozen of CDC funded evaluation projects and helped develop a nation-wide breastfeeding surveillance. I have also helped develop and implement Infant Feeding Practices Study II and its 6 years follow-up study which became a rich data source for public health professionals.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.