Dad’s Active Childcare Influences Kids Weight
Children of dads who participate in physical childcare tasks such as bathing and dressing them between 2-4 years old are less likely to be obese. The inverse was found to be true, also. These findings were reported at Obesity Week 2016. This could be due to the fact that these activities are a marker for more…
Read MoreHeart Hope for Obese Children
Researchers compared a plant-based diet and the American Heart Association (AHA) diet for heart-health effects on 28 obese children. After only four weeks, both diets showed significant improvements but those on a plant-based diet had additional improvements in BMI, blood pressure, insulin, total and LDL (bad) cholesterol. A plant-based diet included plant foods, whole grains, limited avocado and nuts, no-added-fat. The AHA…
Read MoreWhat Helps Kids Choose Healthier Foods?
Three behavioral patterns that help kids eat healthier emerged from an editorial by two physician-scientists at the University of Pennsylvania. It's logical to choose food that tastes better; take the time to find healthy foods and recipes kids enjoy. Keeping healthy snacks visible and available (eg.fruit bowl on kitchen table) increases their consumption. Incentives work. One…
Read MoreWeighty Impact of Working Mothers
Researchers investigating the links between a preschooler’s weight and their mother’s work schedule found sleep was a primary factor for weight regulation. Children of full time working mothers slept less and had higher BMI’s than children whose mothers worked less than 20 hrs/week. Children’s sleep patterns may mirror mom’s by staying up later for quality…
Read MoreFamily Meals May Reduce Obesity
Researchers followed 2,117 teens over 10 years and compared teen obesity outcomes in families that ate 0, 1-2, 3-4 or 5+ meals together each week. Compared to kids who never ate family meals, ANY number of family meals helped reduce risk of obesity, even 1 day a week. Researchers suggest that family meals provide opportunities…
Read MoreSleep and Weight Gain in Teens
Teens are 20% more likely to be obese at 21 if they get less than 6 hours of sleep per night rather than 8+ hours of sleep. Using data for 10,000 teens over 6 years, researchers found 1 in 5 teens were sleep-deprived. The link between sleep and obesity may be attributed to resulting inactivity…
Read MoreGood News for Children’s Obesity
Obesity researchers looked at trends from 2003-2012 and have found there's been a 43% drop in obesity rates amongst US children aged 2 to 5. Researchers theorize that increased breastfeeding trends and reduced consumption of sugary beverages are primary reasons. Unfortunately these findings are the lone improvement in obesity trends. Researchers found that obesity rates…
Read MoreIs Your Child As Fit As You Were At Their Age?
American Heart Association research has found that children's cardiovascular fitness has declined around the world by an average of 15 percent. Today's children would run a mile 1.5 minutes slower than kids 30 years ago. In analyzing data of 25 million children from 28 countries, researches found that childhood obesity explained 30-60% of the fitness…
Read MorePregnancy Weight Gain Leads to Kid’s Obesity
When material weight gain during pregnancy was analyzed in over 42,000 women and more than 91,000 of their children, researchers found every kilogram gained was associated with a significant risk of the child being overweight or obese through 12 years old. This data suggest overnutrition during pregnancy may program the unborn for an increased lifetime risk…
Read MoreWeighty Predictions for Americans
The U.S. Centers for Disese Control recently revealed that they are projecting that 42% of Americans will be obese by 2030! The economic burden of these projections comes with a staggering $550 billion price tag. HBO is premiering a four-part documentary on obesity and its risks. The third episode focuses on childhood obesity, and you can…
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