Table 1.
Characteristics of the studies that met the inclusion criteria of the meta-analysis
| Author | Time of postpartum weight measurement | Sample size | Was BF associated with weight retention? | Was BF intensity examined? | Was BF duration examined? | Was weight measured? | Potential confounding factors adjusted for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butte et al.( 48 ) | 3 months | 76 | N | N | Y | Y | Weight; height; BMI; FFM |
| 6 months | |||||||
| Ly et al.( 49 ) | 4–7 months | 110 | Y | N | Y | Y | Age; parity; education, occupation; religion; quality of housing |
| Krause et al.( 50 ) | 3 months | 28 660 | Y | N | Y | Y | Age; parity, education; GWG; |
| 6 months | pre-pregnancy BMI | ||||||
| Hatsu et al.( 51 ) | 4 weeks | 24 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Age; race; education; marital |
| 8 weeks | status; parity; type of delivery | ||||||
| 12 weeks | |||||||
| Okechukwu et al.( 52 ) | 1–6 months | 527 | Y | N | Y | Y | Age; parity; BMI; weight; height; MAC; length of gestation |
| Dewey et al.( 53 ) | 1–12 months | 85 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Age; education; height; parity; weight; pregnancy weight gain |
| Brewer et al.( 15 ) | 3 months | 56 | Y | N | Y | Y | Age; parity; pre-pregnancy weight; |
| 6 months | GWG; height | ||||||
| Dewey et al.( 54 ) | 4–12 months | 141 | Y | N | N | Y | BMI; weight; height |
| Kac et al.( 55 ) | 0·5 months | 405 | Y | N | Y | Y | Age; parity; education; |
| 2 months | pre-pregnancy weight; pre-pregnancy BMI | ||||||
| 6 months | |||||||
| 9 months | |||||||
| Wosje et al.( 56 ) | 3 months | 82 | Y | N | Y | Y | Age; weight; height; fat mass; |
| 6 months | GWG; pre-pregnancy BMI | ||||||
| Dujmovic et al.( 57 ) | 3 months | 159 | Y | N | N | Y | Age; height; education; |
| 6 months | pre-pregnancy weight; pre-pregnancy BMI |
N, no; Y, yes; FFM, fat-free mass; GWG, gestational weight gain; MAC, mid-arm circumference.