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Topical Area: Dietary Patterns

Dietary Patterns (Poster Session)

(P14-002-23) Infants Feeding Practices and Its Impact on Early Life Weight Status: Baseline Findings From the Baby-Act Trial

Sunday, July 23, 2023
12:45 PM – 1:45 PM ET
Location: Poster Board 2
Disclosure(s):
Elvira Alvarez Stehle, MS: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Cristina Palacios, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: This is a secondary cross-sectional analysis of participants’ baseline data from the Baby-Act Trial, a cluster-randomized clinical trial of WIC clinics in Puerto Rico, to assess the association between the type of feeding (breastfeeding, formula, and added solids), macronutrient and energy intake, and weight status in infants.

Methods: Anthropometrics and a validated infant food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for diet assessment were completed at baseline. Analysis of the variance was performed to compare energy and macronutrient intake or weight-for-length (WFL) z-score by feeding type or WFL categories (healthy weight or overweight/obesity). Logistic regression was used to associate the type of feeding and WFL categories. The models were adjusted for confounding factors (age, race, and education of the mother, number of previous children, gestational length, and pre-pregnancy BMI).

Results: The present analysis included 368 caregivers. Mean age of mothers was 26.7 years, and of infants was 0.7 months. A total of 38.8% of infants were fed breastmilk exclusively, 45.9% were fed breastmilk and infant formula, and 12.5% were exclusively formula fed. Infants fed breastmilk (exclusively or in combination with formula) had significantly lower intakes of energy, protein, and carbohydrates compared to infants fed exclusively formula but no differences in these weight status indicators (p < 0.05). Infants categorized as overweight/obesity had a significantly higher intake of energy, protein, fat, and carbohydrate, after adjusting for potential confounders (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: The type of feeding impacted energy and macronutrients intake but not WFL. However, those categorized as overweight/obesity had a significantly higher intake of energy and macronutrients. There could be a lag before the protective effect of breastfeeding on weight is noticeable. Following infants through the 1st year of life is needed to confirm these results.

Funding Sources: RCMI (NIMHD # U54 MD007600) and in part by PRCTRC (NIMHD/NIAID # U54MD007587).