Breastfeeding and food selectivity in preschool children: an integrative review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34119/bjhrv9n3-028Keywords:
food fussiness, breast feeding, child preschoolAbstract
Considering the importance of early feeding practices in shaping children’s eating behavior, this study aimed to explore the association between breastfeeding and food selectivity among preschool children aged 2 to 6 years. To this end, an integrative review was conducted using the Medline and SciELO databases. The search was carried out between December 2021 and March 2022 using the descriptors “food selectivity,” “breastfeeding,” and “children,” combined with the Boolean operators AND and OR. Studies involving preschool children who had been breastfed for any duration were included, with no restriction on publication date, and articles published in Portuguese, English, or Spanish were considered. A total of 141 studies were identified, of which 7 met the eligibility criteria. These studies included 20,131 participants and used different instruments to assess food selectivity, with the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire being the most frequent. The results indicated that breastfeeding duration was associated with food selectivity in five studies. Exclusive breastfeeding for 3 to 6 months was related to lower food rejection, reduced food neophobia, and less selective eating behaviors. It was concluded that breastfeeding, especially when exclusive and maintained for longer periods, may be associated with lower food selectivity in preschool children, although further studies are needed to confirm causality.
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