(P15-080-20) Exploring Relationships Between Mothers’ Use of Food to Soothe, Infant Negative Temperament, Feeding Type and Mode, and Weight-Related Outcomes During Early Infancy

Objectives: Rapid infant weight gain in the first 6 months postpartum is a strong predictor of later obesity. Mothers’ use of food to soothe (FTS) has been associated with greater weight gain during later infancy, and negative infant temperament is a strong predictor of FTS. However, few studies have examined associations between FTS, negative temperament, and weight gain during the critical window of early infancy, as well as how these associations may be moderated by feeding type or mode. The aim of this secondary analysis was to explore the associations among FTS, negative temperament, feeding type and mode, and weight-related outcomes among infants less than 6 months old.

Methods: Mothers (n=134) of infants < 6 months old completed questionnaires on the use of FTS, feeding type (any breastfeeding [BF] vs exclusive formula-feeding [FF]), feeding mode (percentage of daily feedings from bottles), negative temperament, and birth weight and length. Infant weight and length were measured at study entry and standardized to sex- and age-specific z-scores. Linear models were used to test for associations between the use of FTS, negative temperament, feeding type or mode, and weight outcomes.

Results: Infants were 3.4±1.6 months old. FTS was higher among BF versus FF mothers (p = .027) and was negatively correlated with percent of bottle use (r = -.20, p = .021). Greater negative temperament was associated with greater FTS (r = .41, p < .0001). There was a significant interaction between feeding type and negative temperament (p = .016); for FF mothers, negative temperament was associated with greater use of FTS (p < .001) whereas for BF mothers the association between negative temperament and use of FTS was not significant (p = .08). Use of FTS was not associated with infant weight status or change in weight-for-length z-score, even when considering feeding type or mode as a moderator.

Conclusions: FTS was more frequently used by BF compared to FF mothers. However, FF mothers may be more likely to use FTS in response to negative temperament. Inconsistent with previous research, associations between FTS and weight were not apparent. Future longitudinal studies that span from early to later infancy are needed to better understand how interactions between FTS, negative temperament, and feeding type or mode may impact infant weight outcomes.

Funding Sources: NICHD