Feeding practices in early life and later intake of fruit and vegetables among Japanese toddlers: the Osaka Maternal and Child Health Study

Objective: A growing body of evidence from Western countries shows that infant feeding practices are associated with later childhood dietary habits, but little is known about these relationships in non-Western countries with different food cultures. We examined the association of breast-feeding duration and age at introduction of solid foods with later intake of fruit and vegetables among Japanese toddlers. Design: Information on breast-feeding duration, age at introduction of solid foods and child's intake frequency of fruit and vegetables were collected with a self-administered questionnaire at 16-24 months postpartum. Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios of low intake (<1 time/d) of fruit or vegetables for each infant feeding practice. Setting: Japan. Subjects: Japanese mother-child pairs (n 763) from a prospective birth cohort study. Results: Neither breast-feeding duration nor age at introduction of solid foods was associated with fruit intake at 16-24 months of age. Breast-feeding duration, but not age at introduction of solid foods, was associated with later intake of vegetables. When breast-feeding duration was categorized into two groups with the cut-off at 6 months, children who were breast-fed for >= 6 months had a significantly decreased risk of low intake of vegetables (OR=0.53; 95 % CI 0.34, 0.84) than those breast-fed for < 6 months. This association was independent of potential confounders including maternal education and maternal vegetable intake (OR = 0.59; 95 % CI 0.36, 0.97). Conclusions: This finding suggests that >= 6 months of breast-feeding may prevent low intake of vegetables in early childhood among Japanese toddlers.