Relationship Between Breastfeeding Duration and Body Mass Index in 13-14-year-old Adolescents

In recent decades, the prevalence of obesity in adolescents has increased worldwide. In some studies, there has been an inverse relationship between long breastfeeding and obesity. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between breastfeeding duration and Body Mass Index (BMI) in adolescence. Also, relationships with other influential factors, including birth weight, parental BMI, type of delivery (cesarean/vaginal), socioeconomic status, occupation, and education of parents were also assessed.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 496 adolescents aged 13-14 years. Information on the duration of breastfeeding and birth weight was collected using growth charts. The parentschr('39') economic status and BMI were asked from the parents by a questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 18 software.

There was no significant difference in the duration of breastfeeding between lean, normal, and overweight adolescents (P-value=0.061). The birth weight of overweight or obese adolescents was significantly higher than that of adolescents with normal or lean BMI (P-value=0.011). In addition, the parental BMI was significantly higher in overweight and obese adolescents than in adolescents with normal or lean BMI (P-value=0.004 for mothers and P-value=0.019 for fathers).

It seems that environmental factors, including birth weight and parental BMI, play an important role in determining the weight in adolescence.