29954
The Association of Eating Behavior in Infancy and Later Autistic Traits: Results from a Population-Based Study
Poster Presentation
Saturday, May 4, 2019: 11:30 AM-1:30 PM
Room: 710 (Palais des congres de Montreal)
M. van 't Hof1,2,3,4, W. A. Ester4,5,6, I. A. van Berckelaer-Onnes7,8, M. Hillegers9, H. W. Hoek10,11,12 and P. W. Jansen13,14, (1)Sarr Expert Centre for Autism, Lucertis Child- & Adolecent Psychiatry, Rotterdam, Netherlands, (2)Erasmus MC-University Medical Center, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry / Psychology, Rotterdam, Netherlands, (3)The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands, (4)Parnassia Psychiatric Institute, The Hague, Netherlands, (5)Sarr Expert Centre for Autism, Lucertis Child- & Adolecent Psychiatry, Rotterdam, Netherlands, Rotterdam, Netherlands, (6)Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Curium-LUMC, Leiden University Medical Center, Oegstgeest, Netherlands, (7)Faculty of Social Sciences, Clinical Child and Adolescent Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands, (8)Sarr Expert Centre for Autism, Lucertis Child and Adolescence Psychiatry, Rotterdam, Netherlands, (9)Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry / Psychology, rasmus MC-University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands, (10)Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University - Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, (11)Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen - University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands, (12)Parnassia Academy, Parnassia Psychiatric Institute, Den Haag, Netherlands, (13)Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands, (14)Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry / Psychology, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Background: A recent review indicates that breastfeeding may protect against later autism but also emphasized the lack of prospective studies evaluating this association.It remains unknown whether, besides feeding mode, eating behavior of infants is associated with autistic traits, while recent evidence points at a link between eating behavior and autistic traits across childhood. Knowledge about whether early-life feeding and eating behavior predict later autistic traits can be useful to enhance the detection of autism at an early stage.
Objectives: To investigate the association of breastfeeding and eating behavior in infancy with later autistic traits, and the sex-specificity of this association, in the general population sample Generation R.
Methods: We included 3546 mother-child dyads with maternal reports on feeding and eating at two months and autistic traits at six years. We assessed eating behavior with seven specific eating habits. The Social Responsiveness Scale was used to assess autistic traits. Covariates included child gender, maternal psychopathology and maternal autistic traits.
Results: Breastfeeding at two months was associated with a lower autistic trait score at six years (adjusted B=-0.07; 95% CI, -0.14 to -0.00). Children who were drinking only small quantities (adjusted B=0.17, 95%CI, 0.04 to .030) and being hungry/not satisfied (adjusted B=0.23, 95%CI, 0.08 to 0.39) at two months had more autistic traits at six years. No interactions with gender or breastfeeding were found. Drinking slowly or very greedily, spitting up a lot, regurgitating, or refusing breastfeeding in infancy and was not significant related to later autistic traits.
Conclusions: Breastfeeding and eating behavior during infancy are related with autistic traits later in childhood. Although associations were fairly small, these findings suggest that autism screening instruments mighty benefit from an assessment of early-life eating problems.
