Breastfeeding is related to better overall health in adult life and is one of the commonly described protective factors for childhood obesity. The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between breastfeeding duration, childhood lifestyle habits, overweight and obesity in a cohort of Croatian second- and third-grade schoolchildren. Randomly selected second- and third-grade children aged 6-11 years (N=5662) were measured for weight and height in order to calculate nutritional status for each child. Also, a self-reported questionnaire was filled in by the parents to gather information on the child including breastfeeding duration, dietary and physical activity habits, and health risk behaviors. Regression analyses were performed to explore associations between breastfeeding duration and the odds of having dietary, physical activity or overall health risk behaviors, or of being overweight or obese. Significant associations were found showing that children who were breastfed for less than 6 months had higher odds for being overweight (ORadj=1.24; 95% CI 1.04-1.47) or obese (ORadj=1.25; 95% CI 1.02-1.53). After adjusting for confounders, breastfeeding for less than 6 months was not found to be predictive of dietary, physical activity or overall health risk behaviors. In conclusion, breastfeeding for longer than 6 months is a protective factor for overweight and obesity in 6-to 11-year-old children in Croatia, but not for healthy lifestyle development.
Keywords: Breastfeeding; Child; Croatia; Health risk behaviors; Healthy lifestyle; Nutritional status; Obesity; Protective factors.