Childhood obesity is sweeping the world, especially in the most economically developed countries. Sadly, 60-85% of obese children remain obese in adulthood. Researchers in Quebec, Canada followed a representative sample of infants born in 1997-98 for six years, focusing on sleep duration and body mass index. After controlling for potentially confounding factors, they found that those who slept less than 10 hours per night on a regular basis had 4.2 times the risk of obesity compared to those who slept 11 hours.
PositiveTip: How many hours of sleep per night are your young children getting? If they are not getting enough, they are at risk of obesity.