A new study shows that eating habits of infants, such as breast feeding and nutrient intake, can have an influence childhood obesity. (Image : Kobizmedia / Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Dec.2 (Korea Bizwire) – A new study shows that eating habits of infants, such as breast feeding and nutrient intake, can have an influence childhood obesity.
The National Health Insurance Corporation issued a report on the current status of obesity among children and teens, and techniques to deal with the problem.
Professor Lee Hae-jung and her team from the Department of Food and Nutrition at Eulji University analyzed the checkup results between 2007 and 2013 for 2.2 million children. The analysis indicated that eating habits for infants could have a great influence on whether the child becomes obese or not.
Analyzing the data of infants four to six months old, there was a 28 percent higher risk of obesity among those who only drank formula compared to infants who were breastfed.
Another cause of obesity was unhealthy eating habits, such as irregular meals, watching TV when eating, and being picky about certain foods. The results of a survey conducted on toddlers 54 to 60 months after birth showed that children who had irregular meals had a 1.31 times larger risk of being obese. The risk was 2.36 times higher when they ate faster than other family members, and 1.8 times higher when they read or watched TV as they ate.
Children who ate more fast food such as hamburgers, pizza and instant ramen noodles were twice as likely to be obese, and the risk was 2.59 times higher when they had a tendency to overeat.
Children who were picky about their food also had a 1.24 to 1.57 times higher risk of getting obese. Children who drank two to three glasses of milk (400 to 600㎖) lowered their chances of becoming obese by 50 percent compared to the children who didn’t.
The study also revealed that children with parents who are both obese had a 2.38 times higher risk of becoming obese compared to children with parents of average weight. The risk was 1.7 times higher when only the mother was obese, and 1.52 times higher when only the father was obese.
By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
