mmalabanan
A woman’s health and lifestyle even before pregnancy affects the risk of a child being obese later in life. This was the findings of a study conducted by researchers from the
”oUniversity of Southampton.
Based on the data gathered from 991 pairs of mothers and children who participated in the Southampton Women’s Survey, obese women or those living a poor lifestyle are almost five times more likely to have obese children. During the study, the women were monitored before, during and after pregnancy, while the children who were born between 1998 and 2003 received regular health check-ups.
Aside from obesity, other early life obesity risk factors include maternal factors during pregnancy such as smoking, vitamin D deficiency due to poor diet, and excess pregnancy weight gain. Moreover, not being able to breastfeed for at least a month is one of the factors influencing early life obesity.
The study which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that children with four or five of the factors are four times more likely to be overweight or obese at age four, compared to those who had none. Moreover, their fat mass was 19 percent higher on the average.
By the time they reach the age of 6, they become 4.65 times more likely to be overweight or obese with 47 percent more fat mass.
The head of the research, Professor Sian Robinson said: “Our findings suggest that interventions to prevent obesity need to start earlier, even before conception, and that having a healthy body weight and not smoking at this time could be key.”
Other factors such as children’s physical activities and diet did not explain the differences in the risk of being overweight or obese in this study.
