Factors Related to Infant Feeding Practice and Weight Change in Postpartum Women

Obesity is a key contributory factor to the risk of chronic disease, and postpartum weight retention is one of the main reasons for female obesity. In 2003, research tracked 602 lying-in women who gave birth in one of a medical centers in northern Taiwan, and the results showed that six months after childbirth the percentage of obese women increased from 18.27% to 26.57% and their BMI increased from 20.95 kg/m2 to 21.89 kg/m2. The results illustrated that women in northern Taiwan still had a postpartum weight retention problem six months after childbirth, and an increasing tendency toward higher postpartum body weight than prenatal body weight. Limited research has been conducted to date on changes in postpartum female body weight, and even less on how baby feeding methods can affect postpartum diets and body weight changes. This research will be based on a questionnaire survey and purposive sampling, and focus on postpartum baby feeding practices, diet status and body weight change. The purpose is to examine the relevancy of these three factors, and to explore other factors causing postpartum weight retention. Research samples will be collected from one Taipei medical center for clinical expectant women over 32 weeks pregnant, and the sample size was 150. Over the next two years, this research plans to track 75 breast-feeding mothers (BF Group) and 75 formula-feeding mothers (FF Group), and to investigate their body weight status after one month, three months, six months, nine months and one year after childbirth. The following items will be tracked: (1) an anthropology assessment: height and weight, (2) baby feeding practices and personal lifestyle, (3) diet assessment: 24-hour recall and food frequency questionnaire. The data will be analyzed by using statistical software (SPSS15.0 and SAS 9.1 editions), including descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, ANOVA, multiple regression analyses and GEE analyses.