Breastfeeding vs Formula Fed babies and Childhood Obesity

Published

I am doing a research project in my Modes to Inquiry Class and would like to know if anyone has any ideas on survey questions I can ask the students regarding this topic. I basically want to ask if they were formula fed or breast fed; if they feel they are overweight or ever was as a child; there sex, current weight; and possibly their feelings on the topic. TIA

Deena Schneck

Specializes in nursing education.

Doing correlation research is not at all the same as blaming. Not at all. FWIW there is interesting research showing that just a couple of decades ago, controlling for caloric intake and activity, people weighed less than they do now. It's fascinating.

My question for the OP is whom are you asking? The mom? The adult? Because I can't tell you whether I was formula or bottle fed or a mix because my mom and i just don't talk about those things...it leads me to ask how accurate of information you would get, doing the survey in any form (relying on memory, communication in families, etc). You might survey mom and adult child, and triangulate results. Just a thought.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

Heather, I'm sorry you had a bad experience. Just because your formula-fed child is healthy, smart and skinny does NOT negate the HUNDREDS (yes, hundreds, not one or two) of studies that show there are definite and documented risks and consequences to not breastfeeding. Acknowledging that is not an admission of inadequate parenting.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Dialysis.
Heather, I'm sorry you had a bad experience. Just because your formula-fed child is healthy, smart and skinny does NOT negate the HUNDREDS (yes, hundreds, not one or two) of studies that show there are definite and documented risks and consequences to not breastfeeding. Acknowledging that is not an admission of inadequate parenting.

Both of my boys were bottle fed as well. Why? Milk never came in. I was made to feel like a freak by nurses (male) in the military hospital. Told I had obviously done something wrong. Yep, that was helpful. Then the breastfeeding brigade who tried to make me feel inadequate when they had no clue why I wasn't breastfeeding. My sons, now in their mid 20s, are good looking, well built, have great jobs and are well educated. I know there are thousands of studies on bottle vs breast. Just glad it can't affect me anymore. Like Heather, I was made to feel like a failure for years, because I couldn't possibly have bonded, etc, with my sons. Now I realize bonding is more than a breast or bottle, it's a way of life. While I won't vent, I will agree that any study can be manipulated to give validation desired to any data set. I think the breast vs bottle debate is a dead horse that doesn't need to be beaten any more. The Commuter provided a link to same study. Perhaps OP should find another subject, or a new twist to this old subject to make it original

ETA: my sons and I bonded just fine and have a great relationship

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

I'm sorry you were made to feel that way. It's wrong. It shouldn't have happened like that.

My job as a lactation consultant is to help the women who want to breastfeed, not berate or guilt those who are not breastfeeding.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Whenever someone brings up formula milk, it reminds me of the Nestle Boycott... Looks like this topic quite touched some people's sensitive side. For this topic, it would be better to use journal articles for the statistics between formula/breast milk and obesity. But if you wanted to get a gauge of how people may feel about it, perhaps surveying is okay.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pedi.
I am doing a research project in my Modes to Inquiry Class and would like to know if anyone has any ideas on survey questions I can ask the students regarding this topic. I basically want to ask if they were formula fed or breast fed; if they feel they are overweight or ever was as a child; there sex, current weight; and possibly their feelings on the topic. TIA

Deena Schneck

What students will you be asking? How many people know if they were formula fed or breast fed? People's "feelings" about whether or not they were overweight as a child do not mean that they were or were not. People also lie when asked about their weight. Unless you're going to weigh all of your subjects and pull up their past records from childhood to plot their weight throughout life, you won't have an accurate picture. You are going to end up with a whole bunch of subjective data with these proposed questions.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in retired LTC.
You cannot take in more calories than you expel during the day. When the body breaks it down into glucose and that glucose is not used, it is stored as fat. Less calories and more exercise= less weight. That is how we solve the problem.

KREBS cycle KREBS cycle KREBS cycle

And you guys all wondered if you'd ever use that biochem again.

I loved my chemistry courses.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Ask for sex, ht, wt and then calculate BMI

Read the studies already done and see what data they collected, no need to reinvent the wheel, you need to demosntrate that you looked at the literature first anyway

decide whther you want to do a data study or an opinion poll. Opinions are worth less, they aren't research.

2 breastfed selfweaned kids, one 5foot2 and 150lbs, one 6foot3 and 380lbs. Go figure.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion