Acta clinica Croatica, Vol. 58. No. 3., 2019.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.20471/acc.2019.58.03.12
Breastfeeding Duration as a Predictor of Childhood Lifestyle Habits, Overweight and Obesity in Second- And Third-Grade Schoolchildren in Croatia
Maja Lang Morović
; Croatian Institute of Public Health, Division of Health Promotion, Zagreb, Croatia
Sanja Musić Milanović
orcid.org/0000-0003-4643-1052
; Department of Medical Statistics, Epidemiology and Medical Informatics, Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia; 3School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Breastfeeding is related to better overall health in adult life and is one of the commonly described protec-tive factors for childhood obesity. The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between breastfeeding duration, childhood lifestyle habits, overweight and obesity in a cohort of Croatian second- and third-grade schoolchildren. Randomly selected second- and third-grade children aged 6-11 years (N=5662) were measured for weight and height in order to calculate nutritional status for each child. Also, a self-reported questionnaire was filled in by the parents to gather information on the child including breastfeeding duration, dietary and physical activity habits, and health risk behaviors. Regression analyses were performed to explore associations between breastfeeding duration and the odds of having dietary, physical activity or overall health risk behaviors, or of being overweight or obese. Significant associations were found showing that children who were breastfed for less than 6 months had higher odds for being overweight (ORadj=1.24; 95% CI 1.04-1.47) or obese (ORadj=1.25; 95% CI 1.02-1.53). After adjusting for confounders, breastfeeding for less than 6 months was not found to be predictive of dietary, physical activity or overall health risk behaviors. In conclusion, breastfeeding for longer than 6 months is a protec-tive factor for overweight and obesity in 6-to 11-year-old children in Croatia, but not for healthy lifestyle development.
Keywords
Child; Breastfeeding; Protective factors; Health risk behaviors; Obesity; Nutritional status; Croatia; Healthy lifestyle
Hrčak ID:
230235
URI
Publication date:
1.9.2019.
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