Breastfeeding and Overweight/Obesity Among Children and Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Overweight and Obesity are a major public health crisis among children and adolescent and contributes to significant economic burden. We aim to aims to investigate the relationship between breastfeeding duration and overweight and obesity in children and adolescents aged 6 to 16 from Shibei District of Qingdao, China in 2017. Methods: Data on breastfeeding and children and adolescent anthropometric measurements were collected in a cross-sectional study in Qingdao, China (n=11732). Differences between groups were compared using t-test and chi-square test. Multiple linear regression model and generalized linear model were used to analyze the relationship between duration of breastfeeding and BMI. Logistic regression analysis model was used to analyze the relationship between breastfeeding duration and the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Other factors potentially related to children and adolescents’ overweight and obesity were also considered. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 35.21%, overweight and obesity being 15.45% and 19.76%, respectively. After adjusting covariates, there was a significant negative correlation between breastfeeding duration and BMI in children and adolescents (β=-0.025, 95%CI: -0.033, -0.005, P<0.01). Among boys, the BMI in childhood and in adolescence of those who have been breastfed for more than 12 months is significantly lower than others whose breastfeeding duration was less than 12 months (β=-0.440, 95%CI -0.655, -0.224, P<0.01). After classifying subjects into age groups, among boys aged 9 to 11, breastfeeding has a particularly positive effect on the prevalence of obesity (OR=0.978, 95%CI: 0.958,0.999, P<0.05), and the prevalence of obesity was lower among those whose breastfeeding duration was more than 12 months (OR=0.787, 95%CI: 0.653,0.975, P<0.05). Conclusion: Breastfeeding can significantly reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents aged 6 to 16. And those who were breastfed for more than 12 months had a lower risk of developing overweight and obesity, especially in boys between the age of 9 to 11.