European Journal of Pediatrics, Issue 175: Sept 8, 2016
The association between childcare and risk of childhood overweight and obesity in children aged 5Â years and under: a systematic review
The issue of this journal is to review a variety of studies of children’s health and wellness. The European Journal of Pediatrics is a medical journal that is peer-reviewed and covers a broad spectrum of themes and topics related to children’s medicine. I found the topics in this journal issue to be out of my realm of knowledge, but the particular topic of childhood obesity and it’s correlation to childcare was interesting.
This particular article is a review of the findings of a number of different longitudinal and correlational studies done between the years 2000 and 2016. It highlights the different outcomes of each study and concludes that there is a definite correlation between the type of childcare one receives and their risk of childhood obesity.
Key points of this article include that there are a variety of factors that contribute to children being overweight or obese, including parental weight, socioeconomic status, and education. Those with overweight parents, tend to be overweight, along with those who may have less education and a lower socioeconomic status. Having less money and potentially less education on health and nutrition equals a lower ability to provide healthier foods for the family.
The article states that “compared to parental care, children who attended a centre-based childcare had higher odds of being overweight or obese during childhood. However, the greatest association between overweight/obesity status and type of childcare arrangement involved attendance in informal care, or care by relatives and non-relatives.” Children who are cared for by their parent in the home had a lower tendency to be overweight than those cared for by informal caregivers, such as friends or relatives. Children who are taken care of by grandparents were most likely to be overweight or obese. This I didn’t find surprising, as I see first-hand the way my daughter’s grandparents feed her, even though I try to tell them not to!
Another key point this article makes is about the effects of childhood obesity have later in life. According to the article “A high body weight and adiposity gain in the first two years of life has been shown to increase the risk of co-morbidities such as hypertension, sleep apnoea, hyperlipidaemia, asthma and type two diabetes mellitus in childhood as well as in adulthood.”
As we know, the environment that the children are in, including the relationships they have with caregivers plays a major role in shaping a child’s cognitive, emotional, physical and social behaviour. What a child is eating and how much physical activity they are getting is 100% controlled by the adults in charge. It makes sense that for the most part parents try their best to feed healthy meals and keep their kids active, and that informal caregivers may be less invested in those aspects. This is why quality childcare is so important. When children are in the care of educators who are invested in their health and wellbeing, they have the best chance of maintaining a healthy BMI through active play and by being encouraged to choose healthy snacks. Childcare regulations mandate that children in care spend at least one hour a day outside, which I feel isn’t enough, but it’s better than none!
After reading this article, I am even more committed to active play with children in practice, as well as at home with my own child. Childhood obesity has lasting effects across all domains, and it’s our job to keep the little ones in our care as healthy as we can by supporting them and their families in their own health and wellness.
Reference:
Alberdi, G., McNamara, A.E., Lindsay, K.L. et al. The association between childcare and risk of childhood overweight and obesity in children aged 5 years and under: a systematic review. Eur J Pediatr 175, 1277–1294 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-016-2768-9
I found the information on this article very interesting. It definitely sparked some strong emotions for me as I was reading it. Child obesity is an emotional charged subject for many and definitely for myself.