Prolonged Bottle Use and Its Association With Iron Deficiency Anemia and Overweight: A Preliminary Study

Summary: To determine the prevalence of prolonged bottle feeding practices in young children, and its association with body mass index (BMI) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA), we conducted a cross-sectional survey study at 3 Bronx, NY, WIC sites. Caregivers of 95 predominantly Hispanic and African-Arnerican WIC-enrolled children aged 18-56 months presenting for recertification completed questionnaires. Half were overweight (>85th % BMI) and 36 % were obese (>95th% BMI); 21 % met CDC criteria for anemia. Two thirds (63%) received daily bottles of milk or sweet liquids. Daily bottle use ranged from 3 to 10 (mean=3.3, median=3). Bottle use was significantly asso-ciated with obesity (>95th % BMI, p<0.0005), not significant with overweight (>85th % BMI, p<0.06) and statistically significant with IDA. Clin Pediatr. 2002;41:603-60