Effects of end time of night feeding on the growth and development of infants/toddlers

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the effects of end time of night feeding on body height, body weight, nutritional status, and prevalence rate of dental caries in children at the age of 30 months. Methods A total of 416 children who were born from January 2014 to September 2015 and had completed a physical examination as required were enrolled. During the physical examination performed at the age of 30 months, the comprehensive child care record and a self-made questionnaire were used. The children who continued to receive night feeding after the age of 6 months were enrolled as study group (n=269), and those for whom night feeding was ended at the age of 6 months were enrolled as control group (n=147). The two groups were compared in terms of body height, body weight, incidence rate of overweight/obesity, and prevalence rate of dental caries at the age of 30 months. Results Compared with the control group, the study group had a significantly lower body height (92.4±3.0 cm vs 93.3±2.8 cm; P < 0.05), a significantly higher incidence rate of overweight/obesity (23.8% vs 12.2%; P < 0.05), and a significantly higher prevalence rate of dental caries (14.9% vs 7.5%; P < 0.05) at the age of 30 months. Conclusions Night feeding continued after the age of 6 months can affect the growth and development of infants/toddlers, cause overnutrition, and increase the prevalence rate of dental caries.