Childhood obesity is fast assuming epidemic proportions. The number of obese children has multiplied three times in the past thirty years. The prevalence rate of obesity in children under the age of 11 years in the U.S. has increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. Numerous studies have been taken up to find the reason behind childhood obesity.
A recent study published in the journal Pediatrics has found that obesity in pre-school children is directly related to the daily routine they follow at home. The research led by Sarah E Anderson from Division of Epidemiology, Ohio State University College of Public Health, along with Robert C. Whitaker from Departments of Public Health and Pediatrics, Temple University, Pennsylvania conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a sample of more than 8550 four year old children from around the U.S. who followed three daily routines: eating the evening meal as a family more than five times per week; obtaining at least 10½ hours of sleep per night; and watching less than two hours per day of TV on weekdays. Their body mass indices (BMI) were calculated and the children were termed obese if their BMI was at or above the 95th percentile. In homes where all the three routines were practiced daily, the prevalence of obesity in the children was found to be 14.5%. In contrast, 24.5% children were found to be obese when none of the above practices was followed at their homes. The study also found that adopting even one of the three routines offered some degree of protection against obesity.
The children are at 4 times more risk to be obese if they come from those households where the mother is obese or not properly educated, if the annual income is below the poverty level or if they come from a broken home. But even these children stand to benefit if the three routines are followed daily.
The study concluded that pre-school children coming from homes where they ate family dinner together, got adequate sleep and limited their weekday television viewing time had an almost 40% less chance of getting obese as compared to other children. As the focus is not entirely on food, the chances of these measures being acceptable to parents are also high.
References:
eMedicineLive - helping global community find trustable, accurate medical information.| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Newer news items:
- 27/05/2011 18:53 - How desirable is Targeted Blood Cholesterol Screening among Youth as Compared to Universal Screening
- 27/05/2011 01:33 - Testing Children for Tobacco Smoke Exposure
- 26/05/2011 10:12 - Complications of Ingesting Button Batteries
- 24/05/2011 18:50 - Managing Procedural Pain in Preterm Babies- Is Sucrose Really Effective?
- 22/05/2011 01:53 - Too Much of Television and Video Games can Lead to Attention Problems in Children
Older news items:
- 20/05/2011 11:01 - Safety of Influenza Vaccine in Egg- Allergic Patients
- 19/05/2011 03:20 - Exposure to Cigarette smoke leads to several diseases in children
- 18/05/2011 01:59 - Listening to Mozart can Improve Weight Gain in Premature Babies
- 10/05/2011 02:55 - CT Scans following a Head Injury in children can be reduced by observing the child
- 25/02/2011 14:00 - Proper cleanliness and good hygiene help in quick healing of wounds and skin infections
