TORONTO – For many parents, placing their child in daycare is non-negotiable. But a new study suggests that children in daycare are more likely to be overweight than those who are not.
“We found that children whose primary care arrangement between 1.5 and 4 years was in daycare-center or with an extended family member were around 50 per cent more likely to be overweight or obese between the ages of 4-10 years compared to those cared for at home by their parents,” said Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy, one of the study’s researchers, in a press release.
In the study, 1,649 families living in Quebec, with children born between October 1997 and July 1998 were surveyed. Mothers were asked if they placed their kids into daycare, had nannies, left them with family members or cared for them at home.
Researchers then tracked the kids’ body mass index in later years to see if they were overweight.
Why are kids in daycare more overweight?
Dr. Sylvana Côté, who co-directed the study, says it’s unknown why the link exists between being in daycare and being overweight, but points to diet and amount of physical activity as things to take into consideration.
Researchers say the differences in the children’s weights could not be explained by various risk factors such as the mother’s weight, birth weight, breastfeeding, the family’s socioeconomic status or employment status.
Côté says parents with kids currently in daycare don’t need to be alarmed, however. She says with this new information, daycares could potentially play a larger role in helping to reduce weight issues in children.
The study was published in the Journal of Pediatrics.
Comments