What behavioral and environmental factors are strongly associated with healthy weight in adolescents? Researchers at the University of Rochester reviewed data from the National Center for Health Statistics, a health data branch of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to find the answers. Those factors associated with healthy weight in adolescents are:
- Eating breakfast every day or some days
- Having at least one parent with a healthy body mass index
- Family income above poverty level
- Participation in exercise programs
- Little time spent watching television
This provides further incentive for parents to encourage children to eat breakfast, turn off the television and get moving. It should also make parents think about their own weight and health habits - and how these may affect children.