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The first three years of life are critical in developing obesity
A research team led by John J. Reilly, Ph.D., a specialist in developmental medicine at Scotland Yorkhill Hospitals
concluded in British Medical Journal (May 2005) that the first three years of life appears to be an overlooked,
but high critical period in determining a child's risk factors of developing obesity by age seven
Dr. Reilly and colleagues wrote in online issue of BMJ: "Our study provides evidence of the role of the early life
environment in the later risk of obesity. Prevention strategies for childhood obesity to date have usually been
unsuccessful and typically focus on change in lifestyle during childhood or adolescence."
Speaking about lifestyle, authors remark that television plays a high role and the study results showed children
who watched four to eight hours of television per week at age three, faced a significantly higher risk of becoming
obese by age seven.
Dr. Reilly and his team compiled data, such as height, weight, and lifestyle, on 8,234 children whose average
age was 7.6 years and on another subsample of 909 children. According to results, there are other factors influenced obesity
risk by age 7:
- Increasing birth weight was independently and linearly linked with increased prevalence of obesity.
- Having at least one parent who was obese was also a risk. The risk rose when both parents were obese (adjusted odds ratio, 10.44, 5.11 to 21.32).
- Too little sleep was also a factor. Children who slept less than 10.9 hours a night were more likely
to be obese than those who slept more than 12 hours a night.
Investigating the subsample of 909 children, the research team also found these factors to also be independently
associated with a high risk for obesity at age seven:
- Size early in life,
- Rapid weight gain during the first 12 months,
- Fast catch-up growth between birth and age 2,
- Early development of adiposity during the preschool age before the period where body fat typically begins to increase at around ages five to six.
The study also concludes that the following factors showed no impact on obesity risk.
- season of birth,
- gestational age,
- number of fetuses,
- the timing of introducing complementary foods,
- the number of siblings,
- ethnicity,
- maternal age,
- time spent in the car
NOTE: The Information on this site is provided for information only,
and is not meant to substitute for the advice of your own physician or other medical professional.
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