New research reveals that some unexpectedly simple family behaviors can have a huge impact on the weight of preschool children. 1. Sit down to dinner as a family as often as possible.
2. Limit television viewing – two hours a day or less is best.
3. Make sure your kids get plenty of sleep.
Keeping kids at a healthy weight is important for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that their weight during childhood has an impact on their life long habits and body image. The study’s lead author, Sarah Anderson, an assistant professor of epidemiology in the College of Public Health at Ohio State University in Columbus says that “Four-year-olds who regularly ate dinner with the family, got enough sleep and watched less than two hours of TV a day were forty percent less likely to be obese.”
The study doesn’t assess cause and effect, it just demonstrates associations. “We don’t know if it’s the routines per se, or if it’s the parenting associated with these routines or something else correlated with these routines,” admitted Anderson. But, whatever the cause, it works.
These simple, common sense parenting tips are good for a lot more than just keeping your child at fighting weight. These behaviors have already been shown to improve behavior and cognitive development.
If doing all three of these things seems impossible, don’t give up. Anderson points out that any one of them alone can have an effect. “Each of these routines was related to a lower risk of obesity, so you can choose to try the one that you think you’ll have the most success with. If you’re already doing one, consider doing another.” If you can’t manage five family dinners a week, try for three. If you can’t limit your kids TV viewing to two hours a day, at least remove the TV from their bedrooms, which helps both limit viewing time and in improving sleep.
