Relationship between Exclusive Breastfeeding and Childhood Obesity among Under-five Children in Ibadan North and Ido Local Government Areas, Oyo State; Nigeria

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and obesity among under-five children in Ibadan North and Ido Local Government Areas (LGAs), Oyo State, Nigeria.

Study Design: The study was cross-sectional in design

Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out within Ibadan metropolis using one urban and one rural Local Government Areas between November and December 2015.

Methodology: A four-stage random sampling technique was used to select 450 (214 males and 236 females) under-five children from Ibadan North and Ido Local Government Areas of Ibadan, Nigeria. Pre-tested, interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information on demographic characteristics of the children and breastfeeding practices of mothers. Anthropometric indices were taken and categorised according to WHO standards. The risk categories were defined using age and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) percentile. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Logistic regression with a level of significance set at p<0.05.

Result: Mean age of the children was 29.8±17.0 months with 52.4% being female. Prevalence of overweight, obesity and exclusive breastfeeding among the children was 14.4%, 20.2% and 17.3% respectively. Child’s sex and practice of exclusive breastfeeding were significant predictors of overweight and obesity in the LGAs (p<0.05). Male children were 1.6 times more likely to be overweight or obese than the female children (OR=1.6; 95% CI=1.06-2.41), and children residing in urban LGA were 2.7 times likely to obese or overweight than those from rural LGA (OR=2.7; 95% CI=1.56-4.71). Exclusively breastfeed children were 6.7 times less likely to become obese than non-exclusively breastfed children (OR=6.7; 95% CI=1.21-36.46).

Conclusion: Exclusive breastfeeding has protective factor against obesity among under-five children. Efforts geared towards increasing exclusive breastfeeding practice among mothers are needed to prevent childhood obesity among under-five children in these communities.