Maternal breastfeeding, early introduction of non-breast milk, and excess weight in preschoolers

OBJECTIVE Investigate associations between excess weight in preschool children, breastfeeding duration and age of non-breast milk introduction. METHODS Cross-sectional study of a representative sample of 817 preschool children, aged 2 to 4 years, attending municipal day care centers in the city of Taubaté. The weight and height of children were measured in the day care centers in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The body mass index z-score (BMIz) was calculated and children were classified as risk of overweight (BMIz≥1 to<2) or excess weight (BMIz≥2). Data analysis was carried out by comparison of proportions, coefficient of correlation and multivariate linear regression. RESULTS The prevalence of risk of overweight was 18.9% and of excess weight (overweight or obesity) was 9.3%. The median duration of breastfeeding and age of introduction of non-breast milk was 6 months. The child's BMIz showed direct correlation with birth weight (r=0.154; p<0.001) and maternal Body Mass Index (BMI) (r=0.113; p=0.002). The correlation was inverse with the total duration of breastfeeding (r=-0.099; p=0.006) and age at non-breast milk introduction (r=-0.112; p=0.002). There was no correlation between the child's BMIz with birth length, duration of exclusive breastfeeding and mother's age. CONCLUSIONS The earlier the introduction of non-breast milk, the higher the correlation with excess weight at preschool age.