Lowering the risk of child obesity may be as simple as having family dinners, getting enough sleep and limiting weekday TV time, according to a new study.
The prevalence of obesity among 6- to 11-year-olds has increased from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 19.6 percent in 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obese children are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, followed 8,550 children around the U.S.
Children with the lowest risk of obesity came from families who had dinner together at least five times a week, got at least 10-and-a-half hours of sleep each night and watched less than two hours of TV per day during weekdays.
Only 14 percent of the children in households practicing all three routines were obese; while 24.5 percent of children living in households without any of the routines were obese.
None of the routines seemed to offer more health benefits than any other, but each routine on its own was associated with lower obesity.
"The routines were protective even among groups that typically have a high risk for obesity," lead study author Sarah Anderson said to MSNBC. "This is important because it suggests that there's a potential for these routines to be useful targets for obesity prevention in all children."
The research suggests that an approach to obesity prevention emphasizing these routines might be more easily acceptable to parents and pediatricians because adopting these practices could improve child well-being without focusing entirely on weight, Anderson said, according to Parent Dish.
Sources:
Parent Dish. Study finds three routines can cut kids' risk of obesity," http://www.parentdish.com/2010/02/08/study-finds-three-routines-can-cut-kids-risk-of-obesity/; 08 Feb. 2010.
MSNBC. "3 simple steps can cut child obesity," http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35297537/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/; 08 Feb. 2010.
LA Times. "Three factors to fight childhood obesity," http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2010/02/children-obesity.html; 08 Feb. 2010.
