[The influence of infant feeding methods on the body weight of pre-school children]

Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu, Collegium Medicum w Bydgoszczy, Katedra i Klinika Pediatrii, Alergologii i Gastroenterologii. klped@cm.umk.pl

A well-balanced diet is one of the most important factors that assure a child's healthy growth and development. The most appropriate way of feeding a baby born timely is natural feeding. THE AIM OF THE STUDY was to examine the influence of infant feeding methods on the body weight of pre-school children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The research was done on the basis of a retrospective analysis of medical documentation of 465 children aged 4-7 years. The group was divided with respect to the infant feeding methods, sex, age (children in 5th, 6th and 7th year of life) and the body weight at the time of birth (lower than 3500 g, higher than 3500 g). Within these groups an average body weight, an average increase in body weight and the number of children falling into the categories "below the norm", "in the norm" and "above the norm" were compared according to body weight percentile grids and the Body Mass Index. RESULTS: Infants fed in a natural way for a period of at least six months had, in comparison to infants fed artificially, a smaller increase in body weight until the pre-school age. Fewer children were overweight or obese. However, weight deficiency was more frequently observed in this group of children. The influence of infant feeding method on the body weight in a pre-school period was more visible in the case of children whose body weight at the time of birth was equal or lower than 3500 gr and in the case of girls. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of this research it was concluded that, the infant feeding method may have an impact on the body weight of pre-school children.

PMID: 17684923 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]