Relationship Between Breast Feeding Duration Childhood and Blood Pressure in Early Adulthood

• Main Authors: Hossein Fallahzadeh, Mahdieh Momayyezi, Hamideh Nasirzadeh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences 2016-06-01
• Series: Journal of Community Health Research
• Subjects: Blood pressure; Bottle Feeding; Breast Feeding; Hypertension; Infant Nutrition.
• Online Access: http://jhr.ssu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-308-4&slc_lang=en&sid=1

Introduction: Breastfeeding produces an important effect on the physiology of the body, metabolism and human clinical status. Available evidence suggested that breastfeeding has a prophylactic effect on adiposity, blood pressure and other chronic diseases. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the association between infant breastfeeding and blood pressure status in early adulthood. Materials & Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, the sample size was determined to be 300, and the study data were collected through cluster sampling method in 2013. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire, which its reliability and validity have been confirmed. The statistical analyses were performed using SPSS Software (ver.16) applying independent t-test and ANOVA. Results: The mean systolic pressure and diastolic pressure were 113.6±13.1 and 72±11.6 respectively. The mean systolic and diastolic pressure in males was higher than females. Moreover, increased BMI and age were associated with a significant growth in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The present study demonstrated a significant positive correlation between systolic and diastolic blood pressure. However, the results did not show a significant relationship between duration or exclusivity of breastfeeding and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in adulthood. Conclusion: The study findings revealed no association between the duration or exclusivity of breastfeeding and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in later life.