title: Early Feeding Practices and Weight Status at One Year of Age: A Comparison of Hispanic Immigrant Mother-Infant Dyads with Participants of the Infant Feeding Practices Study II.
abstract: Hispanic preschoolers have higher rates of BMI ≥85th percentile than any other racial/ethnic group. To identify underpinnings of this disparity, we compared early feeding practices and subsequent weight status for a sample of infants of low-income, Hispanic immigrant mothers with participants from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II (IFPS II).
  
  
  
  Proyecto de Bebés Hispanos Saludables (PBHS) collected medical record data for mother-infant dyads (n = 550) from a large pediatric clinic for low-income families and merged it with IFPS II data (n = 1502) to compare early feeding practices and late infancy weight status.
  
  
  
  Mode of milk delivery for PBHS mothers was less likely to be exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months (9.0% vs. 27.5%), but more likely to be both breast and bottle feeding (43.5% vs. 26.3%) compared to IFPS II mothers. No difference was found in age for solid food introduction. Weight for age of PBHS infants was more likely to be ≥85th percentile at 12 months than IFPS II infants (39.1% vs. 25.4%). Both PBHS and IFPS II infants were more likely to be ≥85th percentile at 1 year if mode of milk delivery was bottle only at 6 months compared to those who were breastfed only, even after adjusting for potential confounders.
  
  
  
  Differences in PBHS and IFPS II feeding practices and weight status suggest additional studies of modifiable, early life risk factors are needed to inform clinical and public health interventions that reduce childhood obesity for this growing sector of the US population.
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Nursing, George Mason University , Fairfax, VA.
authors.forename: Kathleen F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Gaffney
authors.affiliation: 2 Inova Cares Clinic for Children , Falls Church, VA.
authors.forename: Albert V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Brito
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Health Administration and Policy, George Mason University , Fairfax, VA.
authors.forename: Panagiota
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kitsantas
authors.affiliation: 4 University Libraries Data Services, George Mason University , Fairfax, VA.
authors.forename: Deborah Ann
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Kermer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001903:Bottle Feeding / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D014768:Virginia / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult