Educating Parents Can Help Prevent Childhood Obesity

Obesity has negative short- and long-term health consequences for children, including a higher risk for adult obesity and associated illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and depression. Yet, according to research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children younger than 5 years of age likely to be overweight.

The risk of developing childhood obesity can result from how parents feed their infants. In a recent study, investigators developed a parent education plan using research from a variety of disciplines, including nutrition, pediatrics, child development, and family studies. The plan includes a handout to guide parents in the feeding behaviors of children, including recommendations to parents about age-appropriate nutrition and activity to help prevent the onset of obesity.

Recommendations that may prevent childhood obesity include:

• Breastfeeding infants for at least the first year of life.
• Using iron-fortified formula if using baby formula
• Introducing solid foods such as rice cereal and pureed vegetables after four months of age.
• Reintroducing healthy foods even if the infant does not like them at first.
• Learning infant cues for being full and stopping feeding when infants indicate they are no longer hungry.
• Including activity in the infant's daily life, including engaging children in family activities, preschool, and free play time.
• No television before age 2.
  

There is a great deal of valuable information in the relevant scientific literature on obesity. Health care providers offer important instruction and advice for parents to help prevent childhood obesity. The recommendations may help to prevent childhood obesity and the negative health consequences associated with it.