New mothers who want to breastfeed their babies would do well to watch their weight according to a collaborative study by a group that includes Felix Oka, M.D., M.S., professor of pediatrics and assistant dean for career advising, and fellows Teresa Orth, M.D, and Shilpa Babbar, M.D.

The research conducted by a team of investigators from the School of Medicine, Children’s Mercy Kansas City and the Kansas University Medical Center showed that obesity significantly reduces the chances of a woman ever breastfeeding. Women who are obese are 16 percent less likely to be able to breastfeed than women whose weight falls within a normal range, the study reported. Orth presented results and highlights of the study at the April 26-30 annual meeting of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Chicago.

Results were based on a survey of more than 66,000 mothers in the United States conducted between 2009 and 2010. Identifying obesity as a high-risk group for not breastfeeding could help clinicians to design future interventions for overweight mothers.

The student is also the focus of a recent article published in Live Science.

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