Much of the attention surrounding childhood obesity is focused on school-aged children. But studies show that just as many pre-school aged children are obese or overweight.
"Because 2- to 5-year-olds are rarely responsible for their own diet and exercise choices, this statistic suggests that parents are incorporating their own unhealthy habits into their children's routines, thereby creating a chain of obesity that has proven difficult to break."
A recent study shows that obesity programs aimed exclusively at parents have better results because the parents have such strong influence over their kids' diet and exercise. This would seem to indicate that it's the parents, rather than the kids themselves, who have the greatest chance to influence current obesity rates.
Labels: influences, parents, pre-school