At A Glance
Noteworthy Characteristics
- Tracks feeding behaviors of infants through the first year of life.
- Provides detailed information on infant feeding patterns.
- Large sample size.
- Includes mothers and infants participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
- Data were collected at 1 to 2 month intervals.
- Prospective design.
- Includes data on prenatal maternal diet and maternal diet when infant is age 3 months.
- Includes data on infant sleep and sleep environment.
- Year six follow-up provides ability to link early feeding patterns with outcomes at age 6 years
Website
https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/ifps/index.htm
Purpose
To collect data about feeding practices and patterns for infants in their first year of life in the United States (U.S.).
Target Population
Women and their healthy, full-term infants weighing 5 pounds or more at birth in the U.S.
Conducted
Began in 2005. Conducted every 1 to 2 months for 15 months. Most recent year conducted was 2007. Survey ended in 2007. A follow-up study was conducted in 2012.
The Neonatal Questionnaire was sent to the mother when her infant was approximately 3 weeks old. Postnatal questionnaires were mailed to the mother approximately monthly from the time her infant was 2 months through 7 months of age, then three times (about every 7 weeks) until 12 months of age.
Sponsor
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Special Note(s)
Between March and June of 2012, FDA and CDC conducted the Year Six Follow-Up Study (Y6FU) to characterize the health, development, and diet quality of children who participated in the IFPS II. To qualify for Y6FU, the mother had to have answered at least the prenatal and neonatal IFPS II questionnaires and not have been disqualified afterwards due to some medical reasons that affected infant feeding.
Sampling
Sample Design
Longitudinal survey with convenience sample. To maximize participation rates, the study selected the sample from a national consumer opinion panel of 500,000 households across the U.S. Learn more about the sampling design.
Sample Size
Approximately 2,000 women and their infants in 2006. Of 2,958 mothers who qualified for Y6FU based on IFPS II, 1,542 women participated in the follow-up study yielding a response rate of 52.1%.
Special Note(s)
The sample is not representative of the U.S. population.
Key Variables
Demographic
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Age of all household members | Interview/questionnaire |
| Disability (general) | Interview/questionnaire |
| Household income | Interview/questionnaire |
| Household size | Interview/questionnaire |
| Marital status | Interview/questionnaire |
| Mother’s education | Interview/questionnaire |
| Mother’s employment status | Interview/questionnaire |
| Mother’s race/ethnicity | Interview/questionnaire |
| Participation in Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) | Interview/questionnaire |
| Sex of all household members | Interview/questionnaire |
| State of residence | Interview/questionnaire |
Diet-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Breastfeeding and formula feeding practices | Interview/questionnaire |
| Dietary supplement and herbal intakes by infants | Proxy report (mother) |
| Maternal diet (prenatal and 3 months after birth) | Modified food frequency questionnaire |
| Other feeding practices and patterns at different times during the first year | Proxy report (mother) |
| Relative contribution to infant’s diet of breast milk and formula | Interview/questionnaire |
| Types of solid foods consumed by child | Proxy report (mother) – infant food frequency checklist |
| Availability of healthful snacks* | Interview/questionnaire |
Physical Activity-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Mother’s physical activity level* | Interview/questionnaire |
| Child's physical activity level* | Interview/questionnaire |
| Child's screen time* | Interview/questionnaire |
Sleep-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Daytime fatigue/sleepiness and/or alertness | Questionnaire |
| Physical sleep environment: Items needed for sleep (e.g., stuffed animal, pacifier) | Questionnaire |
| Sleep-related behaviors: Infant sleep position | Questionnaire |
| Sleep disturbances and quality: Other (list variable) | Questionnaire |
| Sleep duration and quantity: Total sleep time | Questionnaire |
| Social determinants of health (e.g., income, racial discrimination) | Questionnaire |
| Social sleep environment: Co-sleeping with infant | Questionnaire |
| Social sleep environment: Shared bedroom/bed | Questionnaire |
| Social sleep environment: Sleep location (e.g., living room) | Questionnaire |
| Social sleep environment: Other (list variable) | Questionnaire |
Weight-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Infant weight and length | Proxy report (mother) |
| Mother’s weight and height | Self report |
Geocode/Linkage
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| State | N/A |
Special Note(s)
* Included in Y6FU data.
Data Access and Cost
Data Availability
Obtain data by sending an e-mail request to ifps@cdc.gov stating the purpose of the study and briefly describing the planned analysis.
Cost
Free of charge.
Geocode/Linkage
Geocode Variable(s)
State of residence.
Existing Linkages
None noted.
Selected Publications
Diet-Related
Fein, SB, Mandal B, Roe BE. Success of strategies for combining employment and breastfeeding. Pediatrics 2008:122(2):S56-S62.
Grimm KA, Kim SA, Yaroch AL, Scanlon KS. Fruit and vegetable intake during infancy and early childhood. Pediatrics. 2014 Sep;134 Suppl 1:S63-9.
Li R, Fein SB, Chen J, Grummer-Strawn LM. Why mothers stop breastfeeding: Mothers' self-reported reasons for stopping during the first year. Pediatrics 2008;122(Suppl 2):S69-S76.
Li R, Fein SB, Grummer-Strawn LM. Do infants fed from a bottle lack self-regulation of milk intake compared with infants fed directly from the breast? Pediatrics 2010;125(6):e1386-e1393.
Li R, Fein SB, Grummer-Strawn LM. Association of breastfeeding intensity and bottle emptying behaviors at early infancy with infants' risk for excess weight at late infancy. Pediatrics 2008;122(Suppl 2):S77-S84.
Mandal B, Roe BE, Fein SB. The differential effects of full-time and part-time work status on breastfeeding. Health Policy 2010;97(1):79-86.
Shealy, KR, Scanlon KS, Labiner-Wolfe J, Fein SB, Grummer-Strawn LM. Characteristics of breastfeeding practices among U.S. mothers. Pediatrics 2008;122(Suppl 2):S50-S55.
Weight-Related
Leonard SA, Labiner-Wolfe J, Geraghty SR, Rasmussen KM. Associations between high prepregnancy body mass index, breast-milk expression, and breast-milk production and feeding. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2011;93:556-563.
Leonard SA, Rasmussen KM. Larger infant size at birth reduces the negative association between maternal prepregnancy body mass index and breastfeeding duration. The Journal of Nutrition 2011;141:645-653.
Li R, Magadia J, Fein SB, Grummer-Strawn LM. “The Risk of Bottle Feeding for Rapid Weight Gain during the First Year of Life.” Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. 2012; (May).
Methods
Fein, SB, Labiner-Wolfe J, Shealy K, Li R, Chen J, Grummer-Strawn LM. Infant Feeding Practices Study II: Study methods. Pediatrics 2008;122(Suppl 2):S28-S35.
