Introduction to complementary feeding in the first year of life and risk of overweight at 24 months of age: changes from 2004 to 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohorts

Abstract

Complementary feeding (CF) and overweight relationships during early childhood are inconsistent in the literature. We described the association of CF during the first year of life with risk of overweight at 24 months of age in the population-based 2004 and 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohorts (2004c and 2015c). CF introduction was evaluated at the 3 and 12 months’ follow-ups by asking mothers using a list of foods. Risk of overweight at 24 months of age was BMI-for-age z-score above +1sd from the median of the WHO 2006 growth standards. Our analyses included 3823 (2004c) and 3689 (2015c) children. Early introduction CF (before 6 months of age) prevalence in 2004c was 93·3 (95 % CI 92·5, 94·1) % and in 2015c was 87·2 (95 % CI 86·1, 88·2) %. Tea was the item introduced earlier in both 2004c (68·8 %) and 2015c (55·7 %). At 6 months of age, vegetable mash was the most introduced food in 2004c (33·5 %) and 2015c (47·9 %). Between 2004c and 2015c, the introduction of fresh milk decreased 82·1 to 60·5 % and yogurt from 94·4 to 78·1 % during the first year. Risk of overweight prevalence at 24 months was 33·0 (95 % CI 31·6, 34·5) % in 2004c and 32·0 (95 % CI 30·5, 33·5) % in 2015c. In 2015c, the adjusted odds of risk of overweight at 24 months were increased 1·66 and 1·50 times with the early introduction of fresh/powdered milk: plus water, tea or juice, and plus semi-solid/solid food groups, respectively. It is essential to reinforce the adherence to global recommendations on timely feeding introduction and encourage exclusive breast-feeding until 6 months of age to prevent child overweight.

Prevalence and factors associated with tea consumption in the first month of life in a birth cohort in the Northeast Region of Brazil

“…Several national and international studies have found association between economic indicators and early introduction of fluids and other types of food. 3,4,22 Such an early introduction may be associated with women's lower access to information about healthy eating practices and with their slight difficulty in reading and understanding educational materials provided by the health services. 23 It was also suggested that the lack of knowledge in association with low socioeconomic level, makes several mothers see teas as natural remedies; consequently, they attribute important functions to them, such as mitigating infantile colic and gas.…”

“…27 The aim of this present study was to investigate factors associated with early tea introduction in children's diet in their first month of life. Despite the high prevalence of tea consumption among newborns in the country, 4,6,18,19,28 studies available in the literature about factors exclusively associated with tea consumption remain scarce and are old. 3,12 This fact emphasizes the importance of this current study.…”

“…Most mothers in the present study reported the incidence of colic and gas in their children as the reason to give tea. The early introduction of tea in Brazilian children's diet can be explained by the belief in its medicinal functions, namely 4 : mitigating infantile colic 5,18…”

“…[1][2][3] The prevalence of this practice ranges from 16.2% to 68.8% in the first month of children's lives. [4][5][6][7] Giving tea to babies can increase the risk of food poisoning, since plants synthesize secondary metabolites as a defense mechanism when they interact with other plants and these naturally produced substances can have toxic/mutagenic potential. 8 These fluids can also be contaminated with enteropathogens, whose intake is associated with a higher risk of morbidity and mortality in the first six months of children's lives.…”

Parental Feeding Styles and Their Association With Complementary Feeding Practices and Growth in Mexican Children

“…Adequate complementary feeding practices (CFP) during the first 2 years of life are key to proper infant growth, nutrition, and development. During the first year of life, BF and CF coincide with a period of behavioral modeling which determine longterm eating habits, growth, and development outcomes, as well as future metabolic responses linked to non-communicable diseases like type 2 diabetes (1).…”