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CONFERENCE PROCEEDING
Association between breastfeeding and neurodevelopment at 6 years of age in the French PELAGIE birth cohort
1
University Hospital Rennes, Centre d'investigation clinique de Rennes CIC 1414-, Rennes, France
2
University Hospital Rennes, Centre d'investigation clinique de Rennes CIC 1414, Rennes, France
3
Univ Rennes, IRSET Institut de recherche en santé- environnement et travail, Rennes, France
Eur J Midwifery 2026;10(Supplement 1):A28
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Breastfeeding has been shown to be associated with improved child cognitive performance, but the causality of this association is still debated because it tends to disappear when accounting for maternal cognitive performance and socioeconomic status.
OBJECTIVES:
We aimed to explore the relationship between breastfeeding and the cognitive performance of children in the French general population.
METHODS:
From the PELAGIE woman-child cohort, which included pregnant women between 2002 and 2006 in Brittany (France), 286 children were evaluated using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV) and the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment (NEPSY) scales at age 6. Associations between breastfeeding and cognitive performance were assessed using multivariable linear regression models adjusted for maternal verbal cognitive performance and education level, familial stimulation and environment (Home scale), and Rey's Social Deprivation Index (contextual indicator). In addition, we performed structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate the complex interrelation between these variables.
RESULTS:
Children who were breastfed for at least 4 months had significantly higher scores on the WISC Verbal Comprehension Index (WISC-VCI) than those who were never breastfed or who were breastfed less than 15 days (βadjusted=4.95 [0.54; 9.37]). Among the 193 children who were breastfed, the duration of breastfeeding, in particular during the first 4 months, was increasingly associated with the WISC-VCI score. We also observed statistically significant associations between breastfeeding itself or the duration of breastfeeding and better performance on several NEPSY subtests, including visual attention, design copying, arrows, and narrative memory. SEM analysis confirmed these associations. No statistical association was observed between breastfeeding and the WISC Working Memory Index or other NEPSY subtests.
CONCLUSIONS:
These data support current national and World Health Organization global 2025 targets of promoting breastfeeding for at least 4 to 6 months.
KEY MESSAGE:
A longer duration of breastfeeding is associated with better performance in various neurocognitive domains in 6-year-old children, supporting current breastfeeding recommendations. Labour and birth - miscellaneous
Breastfeeding has been shown to be associated with improved child cognitive performance, but the causality of this association is still debated because it tends to disappear when accounting for maternal cognitive performance and socioeconomic status.
OBJECTIVES:
We aimed to explore the relationship between breastfeeding and the cognitive performance of children in the French general population.
METHODS:
From the PELAGIE woman-child cohort, which included pregnant women between 2002 and 2006 in Brittany (France), 286 children were evaluated using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV) and the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment (NEPSY) scales at age 6. Associations between breastfeeding and cognitive performance were assessed using multivariable linear regression models adjusted for maternal verbal cognitive performance and education level, familial stimulation and environment (Home scale), and Rey's Social Deprivation Index (contextual indicator). In addition, we performed structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate the complex interrelation between these variables.
RESULTS:
Children who were breastfed for at least 4 months had significantly higher scores on the WISC Verbal Comprehension Index (WISC-VCI) than those who were never breastfed or who were breastfed less than 15 days (βadjusted=4.95 [0.54; 9.37]). Among the 193 children who were breastfed, the duration of breastfeeding, in particular during the first 4 months, was increasingly associated with the WISC-VCI score. We also observed statistically significant associations between breastfeeding itself or the duration of breastfeeding and better performance on several NEPSY subtests, including visual attention, design copying, arrows, and narrative memory. SEM analysis confirmed these associations. No statistical association was observed between breastfeeding and the WISC Working Memory Index or other NEPSY subtests.
CONCLUSIONS:
These data support current national and World Health Organization global 2025 targets of promoting breastfeeding for at least 4 to 6 months.
KEY MESSAGE:
A longer duration of breastfeeding is associated with better performance in various neurocognitive domains in 6-year-old children, supporting current breastfeeding recommendations. Labour and birth - miscellaneous
| eISSN: | 2585-2906 |
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