(P07-062-23) ¿Es Niño O Niña?: Infant’s Sex Predicts Feeding Practices and Obesity Risk Among Latinos

Objectives: (1) Using the weight for length indicator, examine the prevalence and predictors of noverweight/obesity among Latino infants at 12 months of age; (2) Determine differences in breastmilk and formula feeding practices between normal and overweight/obese Latino infants living in low-income households.

Methods: Latino mother-infant dyads were recruited from a pediatric clinic mainly serving low-income/Medicaid recipient families. Mothers were interviewed at regular intervals to collect information on feeding practices (n = 95). The interviews were conducted in English or Spanish. The infant’s height and weight were retrieved from the electronic medical record to estimate weight for length status at 12 months (< vs ≥ 85th percentile).

Results: The majority of the mothers (79%) were born outside the U.S., with 48% being born in Mexico. About one-fourth of the mothers reported experiencing food insecurity, however, no significant difference was found in feeding practices between food-secure and insecure mothers. Overall, mixed feeding was more common compared to exclusive breastfeeding in early infancy (0 – 5 months). At 6 months, breastfeeding was lower for boys versus girls i.e., 67% of girls were still fed breastmilk compared to 45% of boys (p < .05). While the frequency of formula feeding (p < .03) and the total amount of formula fed was significantly higher for boys (p < .01). About 38% of infants were overweight/obese. Analysis indicated that the predictive association of infant’s sex with overweight/obesity risk was significantly mediated by the total amount of formula fed to infants when assessed at 6 months of age (CI95: 0.049, 1.751), and nearly significant when assessed at 9 months of age (CI90: 0.044, 1.048).

Conclusions: Among Latinos, infant sex is a significant predictor of feeding practices and ultimately overweight/obesity status. It is critical to understand sociocultural beliefs among Latinos to address this trend of doing less breastfeeding and more formula feeding for boys, since, after African American girls, Latino boys are the second highest group experiencing obesity in the U.S.

Funding Sources: National Institute of Health NICHD