Citation
Zamora-Kapoor, A.; Omidpanah, A.; Buchwald, D.; Kuo, A.; Harris, R.; & Nelson, L. (2015). Length of Breastfeeding in Infancy and Body Mass Index in Adulthood: A Comparison of American Indians/Alaska Natives and non-Hispanic Whites. Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Los Angeles, CA.Abstract
Purpose: American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) have the highest obesity rates in the US, but the associated variables are not well understood. Previous studies argue that breastfeeding in infancy is associated with body mass index (BMI) in later life, but only one has ever tested this claim by studying AI/AN children. We aim to investigate the association between breastfeeding and BMI in AI/ANs and non-Hispanic Whites, aged 11-35 years, and whether the ssociation varies by age, race, or socioeconomic status. Methods: Our population sample included 740 AI/ANs and 10,734 non-Hispanic Whites from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health who were followed from 1994 to 008. We conducted a longitudinal analysis to estimate the role of breastfeeding in respondents’ BMI, adjusting for birth weight, demographic, and socioeconomic covariates, as well as interaction terms for the length of breastfeeding and race, and the length of breastfeeding and age. Results: The length of breastfeeding is a protective factor against obesity (p < 0.001), its effect increaseswith age (p <0.001), and it is more protective for American Indian and Alaska Natives than for Non - Hispanic whites (p = 0.003). The association between the length of breastfeeding and BMI is independent of socioeconomic status, but parental education is a protective factor against obesity (p < 0.001), while financial instability is a risk factor (p = 0.004). Conclusions: Our analysis provides evidence of the positive effect of breastfeeding to maintain a normal BMI between 11 and 35. These findings encourage interventions that promote breastfeeding in AI/AN communities to prevent obesity. Sources of Support: Support for this research was provided by a National Institute of Mental Health grant (T32 MH082709) to the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington; by a grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (UW/AHRQ1K12HS021686-01) to the Department of Pharmacy in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington; and by a research infrastructure grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R24 HD042828) to the Center for Studies in Demography and
Ecology at the University of Washington.
URL
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X14004455Reference Type
Conference proceedingBook Title
Society for Adolescent Health and MedicineAuthor(s)
Zamora-Kapoor, A.Omidpanah, A.
Buchwald, D.
Kuo, A.
Harris, R.
Nelson, L.