Breast-feeding at 12 months of age and dietary habits among breast-fed and non-breast-fed infants Britt Lande 1,2, *, Lene Frost Andersen 2 , Marit B Veierød 3 , Anne Bærug 4 , Lars Johansson 1 , Kerstin U Trygg 2 and Gunn-Elin Aa Bjørneboe 1 1 Directorate for Health and Social Affairs, Department for Nutrition, PO Box 8054 Dep, N-0031 Oslo, Norway: 2 Institute for Nutrition Research, University of Oslo, Norway: 3 Section of Medical Statistics, University of Oslo, Norway: 4 National Breastfeeding Centre, Oslo, Norway Submitted 25 June 2003: Accepted 2 October 2003 Abstract Objective: To analyse factors associated with breast-feeding and use of sweetened drinks at 12 months, and to compare dietary habits among breast-fed and non-breast- fed infants. Design: Data were collected by a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire filled in by the parents. Setting: National dietary survey in Norway. Subjects: In total, 1932 12-month-old infants were included. Results: At 12 months, 36% of the infants were breast-fed. The odds of breast-feeding at this age were more than doubled both for mothers $ 35 years compared with mothers , 25 years and for mothers in the highest educational group compared with mothers in the lowest. A negative association was found for maternal smoking, and the odds of breast-feeding were 40% lower for mothers who smoked than for non- smokers. Some dietary differences were observed between breast-fed and non- breast-fed infants apart from intake of milk. In particular, breast-fed infants had a significantly lower daily intake of sweetened drinks than non-breast-fed infants and a 16% lower mean daily intake of added sugars (P , 0.001). Furthermore, breast-fed infants had 30% higher odds of not receiving sweetened drinks daily, compared with non-breast-fed infants. Conclusions: Maternal age, education and smoking status were important factors for breast-feeding at 12 months. Breast-fed infants had lower intakes of sweetened drinks and added sugars than non-breast-fed infants. From a public health perspective, continued promotion of breast-feeding is needed to reduce inequalities in breast- feeding. Moreover, prevention of high intakes of sweetened drinks and added sugars should start in infancy. Keywords Breast-feeding Dietary habits Infant feeding Infants Nutrient intake Sugar Sweetened drinks Breast-feeding is recommended along with nutritionally adequate complementary feeding throughout the first year of life or longer in Norway 1 , while the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends breast-feeding for at least 24 months 2 . Today, breast-feeding rates are considerably higher in Norway than in many other Western countries 3 . However, increased knowledge of the factors associated with breast-feeding until at least 12 months is important for continued breast-feeding pro- motion and to reduce inequalities in breast-feeding. Those who are breast-fed during the first 12 months of life may have different dietary habits, apart from receiving breast milk, than those not breast-fed at this age. There are some data on dietary differences between breast-fed and non-breast-fed infants in the second half of infancy, when other foods and drinks become an increasingly larger part of the diet 4–9 . However, most of these studies have focused on intakes of energy, protein and fat in relation to infant growth, and less on intakes of foods, drinks, added sugars or micronutrients. Data from a more detailed evaluation of dietary differences between breast-fed and non-breast-fed infants will provide useful baseline data for counselling and the promotion of healthy infant feeding practices. Data suggest that breast-feeding may reduce the risk of childhood obesity 10,11 , while consumption of sugar- sweetened drinks in childhood may increase the risk 12 . High intakes of sweetened drinks and sugars among children may also have a negative effect on the nutrient quality of the diet 13 as well as on dental health 14 . The Nordic countries recommend 15 , in accordance with WHO 16 , that intake of sugar should not exceed 10% q The Authors 2003 *Corresponding author: Email britt.lande@shdir.no Public Health Nutrition: 7(4), 495–503 DOI: 10.1079/PHN2003550