Appetitive traits as predictors of exclusive breastfeeding in infants for the first six months

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to identify whether appetitive traits predict exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) duration for the first 6 months of life and to assess other predictors of its duration. 186 six- month-old term infants were included. Appetitive traits were assessed at 3–4 months of age. EBF duration, feeding practices, sex, maternal age and education, socioeconomic level, mode of delivery and gestational age were also evaluated. Risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated through generalized linear regression models to identify predictors of EBF for the first 6 months of life. Only 32.9% of infants achieved 6-month EBF. Vaginal birth, not using formula the first 3 days, maternal education ≥ university and slowness in eating significantly increased the probability of EBF for 6 months. Slowness in eating was the only appetitive trait related to EBF for the first 6 months and was the most significant predictor in the multivariate model.

KEYWORDS:

• Breastfeeding
• exclusive
• appetite
• infant
• eating behaviour

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank everyone that took part in this project, especially the infants’ parents that accepted to participate in the study to its conclusion. We also wish to thank the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT) for the scholarship granted to the first author and to Gusti Gould for the English language editing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT) granted a scholarship (933165) to the first author for the development of this project as part of her PhD.

Notes on contributors

Ana Daniela Ortega-Ramírez

Ana Daniela Ortega-Ramírez is a dietitian nutritionist, has a master’s degree in Medical Sciences and is currently a Ph.D. student also in Medical Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Colima.

Efrén Murillo-Zamora

Efrén Murillo-Zamora is an epidemiologist with extensive experience in observational studies. He has more than 60 articles published in indexed journals and is a member of the editorial committee of three indexed journals.

Benjamín Trujillo-Hernández

Benjamín Trujillo-Hernández is a medical doctor with a specialty in internal medicine, has a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences and is a Full-Time Associate Professor and Researcher at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Colima and has published more than 160 scientific articles.

Karla Berenice Carrazco-Peña

Karla Berenice Carrazco-Peña is a medical doctor with a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences and is a Full-Time Associate Professor and Researcher at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Colima.

Carmen Alicia Sánchez-Ramírez

Carmen Alicia Sánchez-Ramírez is a medical doctor, with a subspecialty in pediatric gastroenterology, has a master’s degree in Human Nutrition and a doctorate in Medical Sciences. She is a Professor and Associate Full Time Researcher C at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colima; she also dedicates herself to private medical consultation in the area of Gastroenterology and Pediatric Nutrition.