The more time moms spend at work the greater the likelihood of their children being overweight, according to a study published in the journal Child Development. Researchers find an average third grader with a working mom weighs an extra one and a half to two pounds.
The weight gain is even greater among kids in 5th and 6th grades, which researchers attribute to those children having more independence over their food choices and how they spend their time.
Researchers add that these findings are most likely due to environmental factors that come from the moms’ type of employment, and not simply the fact that moms work. [Human Behavior/Workforce]
Source: Child Development, January/February 2011, Taryn Morrissey, Study Author, 202-885-6323; morrisse@american.edu.
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