Age at Introduction to Solid Foods and Child Obesity at 6 Years
Chloe M. Barrera, MPH, Cria G. Perrine, PhD, Ruowei Li, MD, PhD, and Kelley S. Scanlon, PhD, RD
CHILDHOOD OBESITY
June 2016 j Volume 12, Number 3
Background:
Epidemiological evidence suggests that timing of introduction of solid foods may be associated with subsequent obesity, and the association may vary by whether an infant is breastfed or formula-fed.
Methods:
We included 1181 infants who participated in the Infant Feeding Practices Study II (IFPS II) and the Year 6 Follow Up (Y6FU) study. Data from IFPS II were used to calculate the primary exposure and timing of solid food introduction (<4, 4–<6, and
‡6 months), and data from Y6FU were used to calculate the primary outcome and obesity at 6 years of age (BMI ‡95th percentile).
We used multivariable logistic regression to assess the association between timing of the introduction of solids and obesity at 6 years
and test whether this association was modified by breastfeeding duration (breastfed for 4 months vs. not).
Results:
Prevalence of obesity in our sample was 12.0%. The odds of obesity was higher among infants introduced to solids <4
months compared to those introduced at 4– this relationship was no longer significant after adjustment for covariates (OR = 1.18; 95% CI, 0.79, 1.77). Introduction of solids ‡6
months was not associated with obesity. We found no interaction between breastfeeding duration and early solid food introduction
and subsequent obesity.
Conclusions:
Timing of introduction of solid foods was not associated with child obesity at 6 years in this sample. Given the inconsistency in findings with other studies, further studies in larger populations may be needed.
