title: The Relationship of Knowledge and Breastfeeding Practice to Maternal BMI.
abstract: This study aimed to investigate the effect of breastfeeding on maternal BMI and evaluate mothers' knowledge of infant feeding in Samsun, Turkey. A total of 289 mothers who had children ranging from 0 to 2 years of age and applied to the Family Health Centers were included in the study. The mothers filled out a questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge on infant feeding. The data was evaluated using the SPSS with the descriptive statistics, the Student t-test, the chi-square test, and multiple linear regression analyses. Most of the mothers, who did never breastfeed their children, were either overweight or obese. As a result of the multiple linear regression analysis, we concluded that maternal age, number of pregnancies, time of first breastfeeding ≥ 12 hours, and early introduction of complementary foods positively affect maternal BMI. Increased maternal BMI is thought to be negatively correlated with decreased breastfeeding of babies immediately after birth.
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Health Science, Nutrition and Dietetics Department , Ondokuz Mayis University , Samsun , Turkey.
authors.forename: Aliye
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozenoglu
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Health Science, Nutrition and Dietetics Department , Ondokuz Mayis University , Samsun , Turkey.
authors.forename: Pinar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sokulmez Kaya
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Health Science, Nutrition and Dietetics Department , Ondokuz Mayis University , Samsun , Turkey.
authors.forename: Canan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Asal Ulus
authors.affiliation: b Faculty of Science, Department of Statistics , Ondokuz Mayis University , Samsun , Turkey.
authors.forename: Kamil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Alakus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D008875:Middle Aged; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Body mass index; breastfeeding; infant nutrition; maternal knowledge