Kids' Bottle Habits Tied to Obesity
Associated Press
December 29, 2006
Far too many kids are fat by preschool, and Hispanic youngsters are most at risk, says new research that is among the first to focus on children growing up in poverty.
The study couldn't explain the disparity: White, black and Hispanic youngsters alike watched a lot of TV, and researchers spotted no other huge differences among the families.
But one important predictor of a pudgy preschooler was whether the child was still using a bottle at the age of 3, concluded the study by the American Journal of Public Health.
"These children are already disadvantaged because their families are poor, and by age 3 they are on track for a lifetime of health problems related to obesity," said lead researcher Rachel Kimbro of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Some 17% of U.S. youngsters are obese, and millions more are overweight. Obesity can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, sleep problems and other disorders -- and the problem starts early. Ms. Kimbro focused on the poor, culling data on more than 2,000 3-year-olds from a study that tracks children born to low-income families in 20 large U.S. cities.
Thirty-two percent of the white and black tots were either overweight or obese, compared with 44% of the Hispanics. Children were particularly at risk if their mothers were obese. So were those who still took a bottle to bed at age 3, as did 14% of the Hispanic youngsters, 6% of the whites and 4% of the blacks.
That finding supports other research that "one of the most common causes of overweight in children is overfeeding," said Philip Nader, a pediatrician and professor emeritus at the University of California at San Diego.
Pediatricians say even babies should never take a bottle to bed, and that children should start drinking from a cup around age 1.
Kids' Bottle Habits Tied to Obesity
Associated Press
December 29, 2006
Far too many kids are fat by preschool, and Hispanic youngsters are most at risk, says new research that is among the first to focus on children growing up in poverty.
The study couldn't explain the disparity: White, black and Hispanic youngsters alike watched a lot of TV, and researchers spotted no other huge differences among the families.
But one important predictor of a pudgy preschooler was whether the child was still using a bottle at the age of 3, concluded the study by the American Journal of Public Health.
"These children are already disadvantaged because their families are poor, and by age 3 they are on track for a lifetime of health problems related to obesity," said lead researcher Rachel Kimbro of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Some 17% of U.S. youngsters are obese, and millions more are overweight. Obesity can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, sleep problems and other disorders -- and the problem starts early. Ms. Kimbro focused on the poor, culling data on more than 2,000 3-year-olds from a study that tracks children born to low-income families in 20 large U.S. cities.
Thirty-two percent of the white and black tots were either overweight or obese, compared with 44% of the Hispanics. Children were particularly at risk if their mothers were obese. So were those who still took a bottle to bed at age 3, as did 14% of the Hispanic youngsters, 6% of the whites and 4% of the blacks.
That finding supports other research that "one of the most common causes of overweight in children is overfeeding," said Philip Nader, a pediatrician and professor emeritus at the University of California at San Diego.
Pediatricians say even babies should never take a bottle to bed, and that children should start drinking from a cup around age 1.
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