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An exploration into the influence of birthweight and breastfeeding status on the weight status of 3-year-olds in an Irish cohort

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Abstract

Background

Childhood obesity is a growing concern in Ireland. Childhood obesity can increase the risk of developing many non-communicable diseases and have lasting psychological and social consequences.

Aim

The aim of this study is to explore if weight at birth and breastfeeding status influence the weight status of 3-year-olds in an Irish cohort.

Method

This retrospective cohort study utilised data (National Child Health Screening Programme) on 3-year-olds born between 1 January 2011 and 3 March 2014 in the North West of Ireland.

Results

Overall, 4144 children were included in the study. The main findings of this study were that 5.4% (n = 222) and 7.1% (n = 296) of the cohort were overweight or obese respectively with a higher percent of males than females in each category. Just under 55% (n = 2266) of the cohort were never breastfed, with only 7.4% breastfed for greater than 6 months. Those born with a high birthweight were more likely to be overweight or obese at 3 years (p ≤ 0.001).

Conclusion

These findings provide regionally specific data and highlight the need for focussed public health efforts to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children aged 3 years in this area. Interventions from pregnancy through childhood are warranted, with an initial emphasis on breast feeding initiation and maintenance.

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All data and material for this article is available upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the support of the Regional Child Health Committee (North West).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health and Nutritional Science, Institute of Technology, Ash Lane, Sligo, F91 YW50, Ireland

    Laoise Quinn & Laura Keaver

  2. Community Healthcare Organisation, Area 1, Health Service Executive, Sligo, F91 Y8EK, Ireland

    Bríd Brady

  3. Community Healthcare Organisation, Area 1, Ballyshannon Health Campus, College St, Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, Ireland

    Emma Ball

Authors
  1. Laoise Quinn
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  2. Bríd Brady
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  3. Emma Ball
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  4. Laura Keaver
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Contributions

Laura Keaver, Bríd Brady and Emma Ball conceived the idea and research design. Data access was achieved through Bríd Brady. Analyses were performed by Laoise Quinn and Laura Keaver. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Laoise Quinn, and all authors commented on each version of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laura Keaver.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval

This research study was conducted retrospectively from data obtained for clinical purposes. Ethical approval was granted by the Research and Education Foundation Ethics Committee at Sligo University Hospital.

Consent to participate

Consent for data storage and use was given by parents at the timepoint of each health check visit.

Consent for publication

No identifying information is included in this article. Consent to publish the data was given by parents at the timepoint of each health check visit.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Quinn, L., Brady, B., Ball, E. et al. An exploration into the influence of birthweight and breastfeeding status on the weight status of 3-year-olds in an Irish cohort. Ir J Med Sci 192, 199–205 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-022-02932-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-022-02932-z

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