Associations of parental, pregnancy and infant characteristics with appetite traits in infancy: Results from a prospective study of infants in Cyprus.

Parental and infant factors (eg pre-pregnancy maternal BMI, gestational body weight, breast or formula feeding) are known to influence the risk of developing obesity in later life, but whether this is influenced by their effects on appetite traits is unknown. We investigated the influence of developmental factors associated with obesity on appetite traits in infancy. Appetite traits were assessed by maternal completion of the Baby Eating Behaviour Questionnaire at 2-4 weeks and 6 months and the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire at 12 months in a cohort of 432 infants born in Cyprus and followed prospectively. Postulated parental and infant variables associated with infant obesity risk were analysed for their association with appetite traits. Multivariable linear regression models were built for the nominally statistically significant variables from minimally adjusted models for each appetite trait, adjusting for confounders. Associations between maternal and infant characteristics are based on appetite traits at 2-4 weeks which were the main determinants of later traits. Gestational diabetes (β = 0.581, 95% CI: 0.209, 0.952) was positively while formula feeding (β = -0.320, 95%CI: -0.603, -0.038) was negatively associated with Food Responsiveness. WFA z-score (β = 0.134, 95%CI: 0.005, 0.262) at 4 weeks was positively, while father's educational attainment (β = -0.319, 95%CI:-0.499, -0.138) was negatively associated with Satiety Responsiveness. Both formula-feeding at 4 weeks (β = -0.422, 95% CI: -0.707, -0.139) and WFA z-score at 4 weeks (β = -0.195 95% CI: -0.366, 0.025) were associated with lower Slowness in Eating. Our findings demonstrate that parental/infant factors linked with obesity show variable associations with appetite traits in infancy, supporting further investigation of their contribution to the developmental origins of obesity.