Nihal CANKIR, Yakup ÇAĞ, Mehmet Tolga KÖLE, Ayşe ADAK, Yasemin AKIN
Southern Clinics of Istanbul Eurasia - 2026;37(3):279-285
Objective: The objective of this research is to assess the correlation between the length of breastfeeding and the Body Mass Index (BMI) of children in the 3-6 age group, as well as to ascertain the impact of early childhood nutrition on the incidence of obesity. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to the parents of children aged 3-6 who presented to the outpatient clinic, inquiring about demographic characteristics and the children's feeding practices between the ages of 0-2. Anthropometric measurements of the children were also taken. Results: A total of 399 children took part in the investigation, with 236 being boys. Judging by the Body Mass Index (BMI) metrics, 27% were categorized as underweight, 54% fell within the normal range, 5% were identified as overweight, and 14% were classified as obese. Notably, 8% of the participants had never experienced breastfeeding, 42% had undergone breastfeeding for six months or less, 25% had a breastfeeding duration of 7-23 months, and another 25% had been breastfed for 24 months or more. Despite the variations in breastfeeding duration, no statistically significant disparities were detected in the BMI values (p>0.05). Among those who had never been breastfed, 22% were identified as obese. In contrast, only 9% of individuals breastfed for less than six months fell into the obese category, while 16% of those breastfed for 7-23 months and another 16% breastfed for 24 months or more were deemed obese. Interestingly, a statistically significant association emerged between the duration of breastfeeding and the incidence of chronic illnesses (p<0.05). A noteworthy 71.4% of children with chronic ailments had been breastfed for six months or less, indicating a potential link between shorter breastfeeding periods and the presence of chronic illnesses in children. Conclusions: In our study, no relationship was found between the duration of breastfeeding and BMI values. However, children with chronic illnesses were observed to have a shorter duration of breastfeeding.
