Factors Causing Obesity in Preschoolers

According to a study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics, preschool children who are exposed to certain household routines including getting adequate sleep, limited screen-viewing time, as well as eating regular family meals are 40% less likely to develop obesity as compared to kids who are exposed to none of these routines.

The study, which was entitled “Household Routines and Obesity in US Preschool-Aged Children”, will be published in the March issue of Pediatrics. The researchers studied the connection between the aforementioned household routines and childhood obesity among 8,550 four-year old American children. Around 18% of these children were obese.

According to the study, the children who were exposed to all three household routines had around 14.3% chances of developing obesity while those children who were not exposed to any of the routines had around 24.5% chances of developing obesity.

The researchers have found the links between having these household routines and having a lower chance of developing obesity in both lower and higher income households as well as in children having obese or fit mothers. The people behind the study suggest that exposing children to these household routines might offer a promising approach to helping prevent obesity among children.