Kids Attending Kindergarten More Prone to Obesity

The Journal of Pediatrics reports that children between the ages of one and a half to four years, attending kindergarten, are more prone to obesity than those who do not go to kindergarten.

The publication comments on the report made by the experts from the University of Montreal and Saint Justine Hospital Research Center. They conducted a survey of 1649 children and their parents. It turned out that about a third of the children attended common day care kindergartens, a third of the children attended family day care kindergartens, 11% went to extended day kindergartens, 5% received nanny care, and 19% stayed at home with their grandmothers. Over the next six years, the researchers were measuring the height and weight of the children.

It turned out that the number of overweight and obese children was 50% bigger in the group of the children attending day care kindergartens and extended day kindergartens. The children, who were most susceptible to the risk of obesity, attended extended day kindergartens.

Children’s and young people’s obesity is the world epidemic. Who is to blame? How can you prevent your child from being raised with extra weight and what should you do if the child is overweight?