Breastfeeding Is Associated with Lower Body Mass Index among Children of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

ObjectiveTo describe the prevalence of breastfeeding and overweight in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and the relationship between the two.Design and MethodsA random cluster survey of 420 children (aged 6 months to 10 years), was conducted in the CNMI in June and July of 2005. Children were measured for weight and height and caregivers were asked about past feeding habits by trained investigators.ResultsSeventy-three percent of children were ever breastfed; 53% were still breastfed at 6 months, and 22% at 1 year of age. Five percent of children were found to be underweight (<5th percentile), while 15% were at risk for overweight (85th to <95th percentile) and 19% were overweight (>95th percentile), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention body mass index for age reference data. Children who had been breastfed had a substantially lower body mass index than children who had not breastfed, after adjusting for age, sex, birthweight, and years of mother’s education.DiscussionThese findings will be used to guide program development in the CNMI.