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A recent study published in the journal Child Development concluded that the length of time a mother was employed outside of the home increased the chances that her children would be overweight. I found this take on the recently publicshed article at www.emaxhealth.com personaly I think any mother that is not paying close attention to her childs nutrition and activity can be to blame for an overwheight child. As a working mother of two kids that eat very well and are very active. I can tell you it takes extra planing and is not the easiest to accomplish on some days. However they are your babies and they are worth it. Also if I can do it I am sure you can too.

There are  a wealth of programs, recources, and information to support any mom, working or not to make the best choices for her family.

What do you think?

The fallowing article is not my own but is a copy of an article I found at the link below.

The researchers from American University, Cornell University, and the University of Chicago, chose a sampling of 900 children in grades 3, 5, and 6 in 10 different cities across the nation. The findings showed that the longer the mother was employed, the higher the child’s body mass index measured. The 5th and 6th graders showed the highest increase.

The researchers looked at the Body Mass Index (BMI) of the children and found that a there was approximately a 1-pound weight gain for every six months that the child’s mother worked.

The study authors said they did not directly know why the weight increased. They did, however, have some theories regarding the time that families had to eat together, the time they had to make healthy food choices, and the time they had to prepare healthy food in the home as all being possible factors for weight increase.

The study surprisingly found no link between the amount of physical activity, the time spent unsupervised, and the time spent watching television with the increased BMI for the children of working mothers.

The incidence of childhood obesity is now 17 percent and has tripled over the past 30 years.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), obese children are at higher risk for immediate and long-term health problems. Their website states that obese children have higher risks of cardiovascular related diseases, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems. They are also at risk for being overweight as adults which brings their risk factor higher for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.