Three household routines cut risk of childhood obesity
February 8, 2010
Andrea Gordon
FAMILY ISSUES REPORTER
Amid the onslaught of grim news about rising childhood obesity rates, a new U.S. study suggests there are three routines parents can follow to reduce the risks for their own kids.
Researchers studied 8,550 preschoolers and found those who watched limited television, ate family dinners and got plenty of sleep had up to 40 per cent less prevalence of obesity.
Previous studies have linked too much TV viewing, fast food and lack of sleep to expanding waistlines among kids and teens. But this is the first to assess how the combination affect young children, the authors said.
“We know that it’s important to prevent obesity early because once it’s established, it’s difficult to treat,” said lead author Sarah Anderson, assistant professor of epidemiology at Ohio State University’s College of Public Health.
“We certainly can’t say these are the only things that are important but these three routines seem to be useful tools,” Anderson said in an interview Monday from Columbus.
The study, released in the March edition of the journal Pediatrics, examined 4-year-old children from a cross-section of backgrounds and identified those who watched less than two hours a day of TV, got 10.5 hours of sleep each night and ate dinners with the family at least five nights a week.
In homes with all three routines, there was a 14 per cent obesity rate among the 4-year-olds. But in households that had none, almost 25 per cent of children were obese.
Children with a body mass index (BMI) higher than 95 per cent of children their age according to U.S. growth charts were considered obese.
Health professionals have been voicing increased concern that obesity has become the biggest threat to the health of the next generation. A major Statistics Canada study last month found 17 per cent of children were overweight and 9 per cent were obese.
The new study reinforces what parents have often been told, but is so often overlooked, said Mark Tremblay, chief scientific officer with Active Healthy Kids Canada, which promotes increased physical activity for children and youth.
“They are three simple instructions that, if all parents followed, would go a long way to addressing the problem.”
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