Family Routine Can Help Reduce Childhood Obesity

Boston (DbTechNo) - Results of a new study suggest three factors that can determine if a child is likely to become obese or not.

According to study researchers, eating dinner with the entire family, limiting television time and maximizing sleep were all found to be very important when it came to risk of unnecessary weight gain for kids.

The study tracked 8,550 US children born in 2001 to determine how many became obese and how many maintained a healthy body weight.

Those children whose parents were able to incorperate these three routines into their daily lives were 40% less likely to be obese than those children who were not living with any form of routine.

Routines that are formed when a child is young can carry over when that child becomes older, thus making sure that a child is getting enough sleep and exercise is a great way to curb unhealthy habits.

Study leader Dr Sarah Anderson, from Ohio State University in the US, said: “The routines were protective even among groups that typically have a high risk for obesity. This is important because it suggests that there’s a potential for these routines to be useful targets for obesity prevention in all children.”