Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

The My Overweight Child blog will help you keep informed about the latest research, findings, and resources available to parents of overweight or obese kids. There are many knowledgeable people working on the increasingly dire problem of childhood obesity - and we want to give parents a place where they can check in regularly to see the latest studies and tips available to help you help your child lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We invite you to add your comments - if you have feedback for the blog, would like some specific topics covered, or you just want to share your experience as a parent dealing with childhood obesity.

Friday, June 05, 2009

Eating Fast Food Linked to Lower Math, Reading Scores

Does eating too much fast food make children less intelligent? A study from Vanderbilt University found that children who ate at fast food restaurants often were more likely to score lower on reading and math tests:
  • Dr. Kerri Tobin and her colleagues studied 5,500 children ages 10 and 11 years old.
  • Half of the children who were studied ate fast food three times a week, 10 percent ate fast food four to six times a week, and two percent ate fast food four or more times a day.
  • The ones who ate fast food four to six times a week scored seven points lower on math and reading tests, and the ones who ate there once a day or more scored 14 points lower.
  • The researchers reported that both of these measures were "statistically significant."
Dr. Tobin said she was unsure if it was the fast food itself causing lower scores. She speculated that having parents who are "more lenient" could be the actual link to lower scores.

A spokesperson for McDonalds restaurants said that the majority of the fast food chain's customers visit a restaurant two or three times a month.

Health and fitness experts have long argued that the excessive consumption of fast food is a prime cause of rising rates of childhood obesity in the United States.

Labels: fast food, academics

Posted By: Aspen/CRC