Scientists have made a check-list of early warning signs of child obesity, including too much television and not enough sleep. More than eight hours TV a week or less than 10-1/2 hours sleep per night for a 3-year-old increase the risk of piling on weight, they state.
Dr John Reilly, an expert on child obesity at the University of Glasgow, said "There are eight factors in early life associated with an increased risk of obesity in childhood. There are certain factors, very early on, which can set you on a particular path in life to becoming obese" he added.
The other factors are: high birth weight; early size; rapid weight gain; quick growth in years one and two; early body fat; and having obese parents.
A tendency to gain weight begins early, even in the womb.
"If you are big early on and you grow rapidly, it seems to predict risk of obesity later on" said Reilly. "There is something about size and growth, even in the womb, that seems to have an effect."
By the age of three, children are developing habits that will mean they are more likely to be overweight or obese.
"We shouldn't be complacent about the lifestyles of our children," he said. "What our study is showing is that although there are early growth risk factors, there are also a number of risk factors that relate to lifestyle, of three-year-olds and probably earlier, that seem to make a difference."
The online report by the British Medical Journal, covers a study of more than 9,000 children aged seven whose growth had been followed since birth. Health experts estimate that about 10% of children, or at least 155 million youngsters worldwide, are overweight or obese.
These children have a higher risk of suffering type 2 diabetes and of developing heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer later in life. Reilly stressed that efforts to prevent obesity should begin very early in life.
"We are missing an opportunity to prevent obesity if we do not modify lifestyle and environment early in life. We need to be looking more at improving long-term outcomes by changing lifestyle" he added.
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