Breastfeeding and motor development: A longitudinal cohort study.
BACKGROUND
While there is a large body of work supporting the importance of early feeding practices on cognitive, immunity, behavioural and mental outcomes, few longitudinal studies have focused on motor development. The relationship between duration of breast feeding and motor development outcomes at 10, 14, and 17years were examined.


METHODS
Data were obtained from the Western Australian Pregnancy (Raine) Study. There were 2868 live births recorded and children were examined for motor proficiency at 10 (M=10.54, SD=2.27), 14 (M=14.02, SD=2.33) and 17 (M=16.99, SD=2.97) years using the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development (MAND). Using linear mixed models, adjusted for covariates known to affect motor development, the influence of predominant breast feeding for <6months and ⩾6months on motor development outcomes was examined.


RESULTS
Breast feeding for ⩾6months was positively associated with improved motor development outcomes at 10, 14 and 17yearsof age (p=0.019, β 1.38) when adjusted for child's sex, maternal age, alcohol intake, family income, hypertensive status, gestational stress and mode of delivery.


CONCLUSIONS
Early life feeding practices have an influence on motor development outcomes into late childhood and adolescence independent of sociodemographic factors.
School of Health Science, University of Notre Dame Australia, 19 Mouat St, Fremantle, WA 6959, Australia. Electronic address: tegan.grace@nd.edu.au.
Tegan
T
Grace
The Telethon Kids Institute, 100 Roberts Rd, Subiaco, WA 6008, Australia.
Wendy
W
Oddy
Institute for Health Research; University of Notre Dame Australia, 19 Mouat St, Fremantle, WA 6959, Australia.
Max
M
Bulsara
Institute for Health Research; University of Notre Dame Australia, 19 Mouat St, Fremantle, WA 6959, Australia.
Beth
B
Hands
D000293:Adolescent; D001315:Australia; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D024510:Muscle Development / Q000502:physiology*; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014904:Western Australia
Breastfeeding; Child development; Motor development; Raine Study