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‘Can breastfeeding and its duration determine the overweight status of Kuwaiti children at the age of 3–6 years?’

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 63, pages 1041–1043 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine whether breastfeeding and its duration are associated with a reduced risk of overweight and obesity among 2291 Kuwaiti pre-school children. No significant association of breastfeeding or its duration was found with either overweight or with obesity after adjusting for the effects of confounders. Girls were at 32% higher risk of becoming obese than were boys. Children of 4 and 5 years were nearly three times at higher risk of overweight or obese than a child of less than 4 years. Children with higher birth weight had double the risk of obesity than a child of normal birth weight. Maternal obesity was a strong predictor of obesity in their children. A child with an obese mother was nearly twice at higher risk of being overweight and thrice at higher risk of being obese compared with a child born to a mother of normal weight.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Administration of Food and Nutrition, Ministry of Health, Sulaibikhat, Kuwait

    N Al-Qaoud & P Prakash

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  1. N Al-Qaoud
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  2. P Prakash
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Correspondence to N Al-Qaoud.

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Al-Qaoud, N., Prakash, P. ‘Can breastfeeding and its duration determine the overweight status of Kuwaiti children at the age of 3–6 years?’. Eur J Clin Nutr 63, 1041–1043 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2009.17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2009.17

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