The effect of early feeding practices on growth indices and obesity at preschool children from four European countries and UK schoolchildren and adolescents

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2017

Authors

Moschonis, G (Author) Other; de Lauzon Guillain, B (Author) Other; Jones, L (Author) Other; Oliveira, A (Author) Other; Lambrinou, CP (Author) Other; Damianidi, L (Author) Other; Lioret, S (Author) Other; Moreira, Pedro (Author) FCNAUP; Lopes, C (Author) Other; Emmett, P (Author) Other; Charles, MA (Author) Other; Manios, Y (Author) Other

Journal

Title: European Journal of Pediatrics

Vol. 176

Pages: 1181-1192

ISSN: 0340-6199

Publisher: Springer Nature

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 10 Citations

Scopus - 10 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00M-X9V

DOI: 10.1007/s00431-017-2961-5

Abstract (EN): Not only healthy growth but also childhood obesity partly originate from early life. The current work aimed to examine the association of feeding practices during infancy with growth and adiposity indices in preschool children from four European countries and in UK schoolchildren and adolescents. Existing data from four European birth cohorts (ALSPAC-UK, EDEN-France, EuroPrevall-Greece and Generation XXI-Portugal) were used. Anthropometrics and body composition indices were collected. Parallel multivariate regression analyses were performed to examine the research hypothesis. Overall, the analyses showed that breastfeeding and timing of complementary feeding were not consistently associated with height z-score, overweight/obesity, and body fat mass in children or adolescents. However, breastfeeding duration for less than 6 months was associated with lower height z-scores in 5-year-old French children (P < 0.001) but with higher height z-scores in 4-year-old UK children (P = 0.006). Furthermore, introduction of complementary foods earlier than 4 months of age was positively associated with fat mass levels in 5-year-old French children (P = 0.026). Conclusion: Early feeding practices, i.e., any breastfeeding duration and age of introduction of complementary foods, do not appear to be consistently associated with height z-score, overweight/obesity, and body fat mass in preschool children from four European countries and in UK schoolchildren and adolescents. What is known? Healthy growth and childhood obesity partly originate from early life. What is new? Breastfeeding duration less than 6 months was associated with lower height z-scores in 5-year-old French children, while the opposite was observed in 4-year-old British children. Introduction of complementary foods earlier than 4 months was positively associated with fat mass levels in 5-year-old French children, but not in the other three countries. Early feeding practices did not appear to be consistently associated with growth and adiposity indices, and as such, no clear influence can be observed.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 12