Ten percent of children under the age of 2 are overweight, and the percentage of overweight children between 2 and 5 years old has more than doubled since 1980.
The New York Times has reported that obesity may start even before birth, and that prevention needs to start even earlier. Leann Birch, of the Penn State Center for Childhood Obesity Research, is concerned that the genes inherited from a baby’s father and mother may be turned on and off (epigenetics) depending on the environmental conditions during early development in the womb.
PositiveTip: Couples should carefully consider their lifestyle choices before they conceive a baby, since pre-pregnancy habits can influence the infant for better or worse.