Association between infant feeding and ADHD development in childhood

A birth cohort study in Taiwan

Bibliographic Data

ID21344355
AuthorsChiu‐Ying Chen (0000-0001-8454-1151, Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Science, College of Medicine China Medical University Taichung Taiwan), Pin‐Yang Shih (Department of Public Health China Medical University Taichung Taiwan), Chih‐Ting Su (Office of Food and Drug Safety Health Bureau of Taichung City Government Taichung Taiwan), Chi‐Fung Cheng (0000-0001-9686-2315, National Center for Geriatrics and Welfare Research National Health Research Institutes Miaoli Taiwan), Meng‐Chih Lee (0000-0003-4650-395X, Department of Family Medicine, Taichung Hospital Ministry of Health and Welfare Taichung Taiwan, corresponding author), Hsien‐Yuan Lane (0000-0003-2162-8174, Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Science, College of Medicine China Medical University Taichung Taiwan, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume66
Issue6
Pages881-891
Publication date2025-06-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-9630 • E-ISSN: 1469-7610
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jcpp.14100
PMID39707757
OpenAlexW4405674070
LanguageEN
References cited32

BACKGROUND: Infant feeding plays a vital role in neurodevelopment, and a lack of breastfeeding and complementary feeding may increase the risk of developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, empirical evidence on this relationship remains uncertain, as most studies are based on cross-sectional designs. Therefore, this study aimed to examine this temporal relationship using longitudinal data from a birth cohort. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from Wave I (starting at 6 months old, 2005-2006) to Wave IV (up to 5 years old, 2010-2011) of the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study. A total of 19,721 pairs completed the four-wave interviews and provided information on infant feeding, medical history, ADHD occurrence, and sociodemographic characteristics. An extended Cox model with time-dependent covariates was used to examine this association. RESULTS: In total, 207 infants developed ADHD during the 54-month observational period, with an estimated cumulative incidence of 5.56 per 1,000 person-years. The average breastfeeding duration was approximately 2 months. With complementary feeding, rice solid food (HR = 0.73) was found to be a protective factor against developing ADHD. Significantly associated factors for increasing ADHD risk included males, lower family income, low birth weight, maternal weight, advanced maternal age, child gastrointestinal disease, child seizures, maternal heart disease, and paternal diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSIONS: Complementary feeding within 6 months is important to protect infants from developing ADHD. The beneficial effect of breastfeeding within 6 months was not observed while controlling for other risk factors. However, owing to the limitation of a smaller number of ADHD cases, further studies should rely on larger observational periods

Birth weight · Breast feeding · Breastfeeding · Cohort · Cohort study · Incidence (geometry) · Longitudinal study · Observational study · Pregnancy · Retrospective cohort study · Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder · Infant Development and Preterm Care · Internal Medicine · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Medicine · Psychology · Pediatrics

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