title: [Breastfeeding as a protective factor against overweight and obesity among pre-school children].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The rates of overweight and obesity among children have significantly increased in Chile.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the benefits of breastfeeding in preventing malnutrition by excessive intake of foods in Chilean pre-school children.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case-control study was conducted in 2011 on pediatric patients treated in a private Chilean healthcare center (San Joaquin Medical Center, Catholic University). Gender, age, weight, height, nutritional diagnosis, type of feeding during the first 6 months of life, socioeconomic status, parental education and obesity, television viewing, and kindergarten attendance were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 209 patients were included in the study, 53.1% of whom were male, and 60.3% were predominantly breastfed for the first 6 months of life. More than half (51.7%) were eutrophic, 29.7% were overweight, and 18.6% obese. The patients were between the ages of 2 and 3 years 11 months. The crude Odds Ratio of breast-feeding versus formula during the first 6 months of life in patients with normal weight versus overweight children was 0.442 (95% CI 0.204-0.961).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was found that predominantly breastfeeding during the first 6 months of life acted as a protective factor against malnutrition by excessive intake of foods in Chilean pre-school children treated in this private medical center.
authors.affiliation: Residente de Pediatría, División de Pediatría, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. Electronic address: catajarpa@gmail.com.
authors.forename: M Catalina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Jarpa
authors.affiliation: Médico, Departamento de Salud Pública, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: L Jaime
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Cerda
authors.affiliation: Interna de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: M Claudia
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Terrazas
authors.affiliation: Médico pediatra, División de Pediatría, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: C Carmen
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Cano
mesh_terms: D001835:Body Weight; D001942:Breast Feeding; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002677:Chile; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D065840:Protective Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Breastfeeding; Malnutrition; Obesity; Overweight; Sobrepeso; lactancia materna; malnutrición; obesidad