Adiposity and feeding practices in the first two years of life among toddlers in Guadalajara, Mexico

• Published in: BMC pediatrics Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 61 - 10
• Main Authors: Álvarez-Zaragoza, Citlalli, Vásquez-Garibay, Edgar M, Sánchez-Ramírez, Carmen Alicia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 04-02-2023; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adiposity; Age; Analysis; Body composition; Body mass index; Breast Feeding; Breastfeeding; Breastfeeding & lactation; Child, Preschool; Complementary feeding; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diagnosis; Dietary minerals; Feeding Behavior; Female; Health aspects; Health care; Humans; Hydration; Infant; Kruskal-Wallis test; Mexico; Nutritional status; Obesity; Obesity in children; Overweight; Pediatrics; Physiological aspects; Responsible persons; Risk factors; Software; Toddlers; Values; Mexico; Complementary feeding; Toddlers; Adiposity; Breastfeeding
• ISSN: 1471-2431; 1471-2431
• DOI: 10.1186/s12887-023-03877-7

Feeding practices in the first two years of life have a direct impact on nutritional status and adiposity. The purpose of this study was to identify the differences in feeding practices during the first two years of life by sex and type of feeding in the first semester of postnatal life and their relationships with adiposity in toddlers.
An analytical cross-sectional study that included 150 toddlers aged 12 to 24 months who were healthy, full-term, and had adequate weight for their gestational ages, was conducted at the New Civil Hospital and at a private practice in Guadalajara. Body compositions were obtained by bioelectrical impedance (BIA) measurements, and a modified questionnaire was used. Then, the parents completed two 24-h dietary recalls. In addition to the descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests were used in the contrast analysis of the quantitative variables. To analyze the qualitative variables, we used X
tests. Afterward, linear regression tests were conducted to identify the relationships between adiposity and feeding practices during the first two years.
There were direct relationships between adiposity and duration of full breastfeeding (r = 0.610, p = 0.021), age of introduction of ultra-processed products (r = 0.311, p = 0.011), sugar (r = 0.186; p = 0.024) and age at which eggs were introduced (r = -0.202; p = 0.016).
Adiposity was related to feeding practices in the first two years of life in toddlers.