Schools have been making a huge effort to keep their students from becoming obese. Banning sweets, issuing report cards, offering healthier options at lunch. Thankfully the First Lady has dedicated herself to changing our youth and helping kids learn more about how important physical activity and eating healthy are.
But according to NYTimes.com, this help might be a little too late – obesity issues can start way before grade school begins. Evidence continues to prove that while a fetus is still in the womb it can start a path towards obesity. Mothers who smoke put their children at risk for becoming obese, even if the infant seems tiny at birth. Babies who miss less than 12 hours of sleep per night are also at risk for becoming dangerously overweight.
To prevent your child from a risky weight, doctors recommends getting yourself into optimum health before conceiving. This will help eliminate the risk of obesity or diabetes within your potential children. Breast-feeding is always a high recommendation to lower risk of obesity.
One in 10 children under two years old is overweight. In 1980 only five percent of children were fat, while in 2006 this number had increased to 12.6 percent. Eighteen percent of teenagers in America are obese.
“Everybody’s been pointing to this early period and saying that it looks like something is going on and it has long-lasting effects,” said Dr. Leann L. Birch, director of Penn State’s Center for Childhood Obesity Research, who is leading the committee.
Huge efforts are taking place to create awareness for mothers out there.
Want kids? Find a OB/GYN near your home to help your diet before conceiving. Find a pediatrician close by to help keep your kids healthy.
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