In a UNCG study on the psychological, biological, and social factors linked to rapid infant weight gain, researchers followed 299 women and their infants from pregnancy to toddlerhood and found that infant feeding practices associated with obesity, known as obesogenic practices, play a central role.

Examples of obesogenic practices described in the UNCG iGrow study’s recent Pediatric Obesity paper include watching television while feeding a baby, formula feeding, and supplementing a bottle with additional foods.

“The key take home point is that what and how parents feed their infants in the first 6 months of life has tremendous implications for obesity risk, and childbearing parents who experience more stress during the prenatal period are particularly likely to engage in these unhealthy practices,” says Dr. Esther Leerkes.

Infants who gain weight rapidly before the age of two are at a higher risk for childhood obesity.

Given that the childhood obesity epidemic has not yet abated – over 37 million children across the world are obese – scientists are parsing out which behaviors and practices are spurring infants’ rapid weight gain.

Story highlights

UNCG researchers find feeding practices and prenatal stress play a central role in rapid infant weight gain, which puts babies at risk for childhood obesity. Findings include recommendations for parents.