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Exclusive breastfeeding duration and later intake of vegetables in preschool children

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 65, pages 196–202 (2011)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

To examine whether a relationship exists between exclusive breastfeeding duration and later vegetable consumption in 4-year-old children, independently of factors traditionally associated with children's vegetable intake.

Subjects/Methods:

A longitudinal study using information collected on children's food consumption patterns and behaviors from a representative sample of children born in 1998 in the province of Québec, Canada. Face-to-face interviews and self-administered questionnaires were addressed to children's mothers and fathers. From the first group of children (n=2100) included in the cohort, a subsample of 4-year-old children participated in a nutrition substudy (n=1549).

Results:

Children whose mothers held a university degree had odds of 8.7 (95% CI: 4.23–17.93) for consuming two or more servings of vegetables a day at 4 years of age (vs less than one serving per day) in comparison to children of mothers with no high school diploma. Likewise, children who were exclusively breastfed for 3 or more months had odds of 2.6 (95% CI: 1.34–5.02, with 3 to <4 months of exclusive breastfeeding) and 1.9 (95% CI: 1.01–3.61, with 4 or more months of exclusive breastfeeding) for consuming two or more servings of vegetables per day (vs less than one serving per day) in comparison to children who were formula-fed and/or partially breastfed (no exclusive breastfeeding).

Conclusions:

The findings suggest that three or more months of exclusive breastfeeding is a predictive factor for higher vegetable consumption in preschool children.

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Acknowledgements

This study was partly financed by the Canadian Institute of Health Research. The analyses were performed using data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD, 1998–2002), conducted by Santé Québec, a division of the Institut de la Statistique du Québec (ISQ) and funded by the Ministry of Health and Social Services of Québec. L Dubois’ research work was supported by the Canada Research Chair Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    D Burnier, L Dubois & M Girard

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    L Dubois

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  1. D Burnier
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  2. L Dubois
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  3. M Girard
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Correspondence to L Dubois.

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Burnier, D., Dubois, L. & Girard, M. Exclusive breastfeeding duration and later intake of vegetables in preschool children. Eur J Clin Nutr 65, 196–202 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2010.238

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