Changes of feeding patterns in Chinese city children under 2 years from 1985 to 2015: results from a series of national cross-sectional surveys

Background In China, as the social transformation and economic development from 1985 to 2015, children’s feeding pattern has undergone some changes. So we aimed to analyze the secular trend on feeding patterns of city children in China. Methods All data were from a series of national survey which implemented once every 10 years in China from 1985 to 2015. We use same indexes to evaluate the feeding pattern of children in these four surveys. Results From 1985 to 2005, the exclusive breastfeeding rates in infants under 6 months of age decreased, especially in suburban areas decreased by 17.7%; the continuous breastfeeding rate of 1-year-old children in suburban area decreased from 60.1 to 27.6%. However, from 2005 to 2015, the exclusive breastfeeding rates under 6 months of age increased by 16.0% in urban areas and 5.9% in suburban areas; the continuous breastfeeding rate of 1-year-old children in urban increased from 17.0 to 36.0%. The overall feeding rate of complementary food in infants under 6 months of age declined from 1985 to 2015; the average age at introduction of all complementary foods was around 6 months of age in 2015. Conclusions There is an obvious trend on feeding pattern of Chinese children. From 1985 to 2005, the breastfeeding rate decreased, the duration time of breastfeeding was shortened and the age at introduction of complementary food was advanced. From 2005 to 2015, the breastfeeding rate increased, the duration time of breastfeeding was prolonged, and the age at introduction of complementary food was postponed.