Ethnicity, infant-feeding practices, and childhood adiposity.
There has been professional concern that the type of milk used for infant-feeding may lead to adiposity. Studies of the relationship between infant milk-feeding and adiposity, however, have led to inconsistent results. This study investigated the relationship of infant-feeding practices to three indicators of adiposity: body weight, body mass index (BMI) and sum of seven skinfolds. The sample includes children at 3 or 4 years of age, in three ethnic groups. Multivariate techniques assessed the relationship among practices of infant-feeding with three indicators of adiposity, while considering potential confounding variables. Although a weak bivariate relationship was detected between the duration of breastfeeding and body weight, none of the measures of infant-feeding were related to the three indicators of adiposity. Black-American girls had smaller skinfolds than Anglo- or Mexican-American girls, with no ethnic group differences among boys. Concerns about adiposity due to methods of infant-feeding can be allayed, at least among 3- or 4-year-old children.
Baranowski
T
T
Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston.
Bryan
G T
GT
Rassin
D K
DK
Harrison
J A
JA
Henske
J C
JC
D001741:Black or African American; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology*; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D013781:Texas
D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004041:Dietary Fats