Relationship Between Breast Feeding Duration Childhood and Blood Pressure in Early Adulthood

Breastfeeding produces an important effect on the physiology of the body, metabolism and human clinical status. Available evidence suggested that breastfeeding has a prophylactic effect on adiposity, blood pressure and other chronic diseases. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the association between infant breastfeeding and blood pressure status in early adulthood.
In this descriptive cross-sectional study, the sample size was determined to be 300, and the study data were collected through cluster sampling method in 2013. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire, which its reliability and validity have been confirmed. The statistical analyses were performed using SPSS Software (ver.16) applying independent t-test and ANOVA.
The mean systolic pressure and diastolic pressure were 113.6±13.1 and 72±11.6 respectively. The mean systolic and diastolic pressure in males was higher than females. Moreover, increased BMI and age were associated with a significant growth in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The present study demonstrated a significant positive correlation between systolic and diastolic blood pressure. However, the results did not show a significant relationship between duration or exclusivity of breastfeeding and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in adulthood.
The study findings revealed no association between the duration or exclusivity of breastfeeding and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in later life.