Want to lower the odds that your preschooler will become overweight or obese? A new study suggests these three family policies might help:
1. Family dinners: Eat together regularly (5 to 7 nights a week)
2. Bedtimes: Help your child get enough sleep (at least 10 and half hours) on weeknights
3. Screen time limits: Limit TV and videos to 2 or fewer hours per day
Deceptively simple, right? Sarah Anderson, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Ohio State University, conducted this research with a colleague from the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University in Philadelphia. It was published today in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. In search of ways to help parents become more active in preventing childhood obesity, Dr. Anderson sought to identify household routines that, first, might protect against the development of childhood obesity; second, offer other benefits, such as "such as promoting children's social, emotional, and/or cognitive development"; and third, not do any harm to kids or families.
