Association between breastfeeding and types of obesity in children and adolescents

Objective To explore the association between breastfeeding and the type of obesity in children and adolescents, and to provide a theoretical basis for the identification and intervention of influential factors of different types of childhood obesity. Methods Using stratified cluster sampling method, 93 primary and secondary schools in 7 provinces and cities in China were selected for physical examination and questionnaire surveys. Totally, 30 437 primary and middle school students aged 7-17, with completed information, were selected. A multivariable Logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between breastfeeding and different types of obesity. Results The breastfeeding rate of students was 69.8%. The rates of general obesity, simple abdominal obesity, and combined obesity in the breastfeeding group were 7.1%, 3.9%, and 18.7%, the non-breastfeeding group were 7.0%, 4.7%, and 19.5%. The differences were statistically significant (χ 2 = 14.04, P <0.01). Univariate analysis found that breastfeeding significantly reduced the risk of simple abdominal obesity in children and adolescents ( OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.72-0.92, P <0.01) with normal (BMI non-overweight and obesity and waist