Study Shows Mothers May Be Overfeeding Kids

Posted on May 12, 2009 in Latest News

A new study by Rutgers University Department of Nutritional Sciences shows that mother tend to overfeed infants between the ages 6 months to  1 year, and this might be the cause for the rise in childhood obesity.  The researchers found out that parents were not able to identify if their baby was full.

When parents overfeed their kids, the body gets accustomed to the excess food intake and accumulates fat. This becomes a habit during the teenage and later years. Hence, it is psychologically difficult for kids to eat small amounts of food as they grow.

The Study:
The researchers observed about 96 Hispanic and African American mothers to study their infant feeding habits. The feeding habits and the weight of the babies were assessed during the 3rd, 4th and 6th month intervals. The researchers also analyzed the feeding diaries and monitored the kids’weight closely.

The researchers found out that during the 6th month to 12th month interval, mothers were most likely to overfeed their babies.  During this time, mothers were less likely to identify the signs that their infants are full. As they failed in identifying the satiety clues, they overfed their babies considerably. The infants who were overfed had considerable weight gain and they became overweight or obese.

This researchers opine that frequent feeding can result in obesity. Mothers should be sensitive to the infant’s food requirements and feed accordingly. This study was published in the May/June issue of Journal Of Nutrition Education and Behavior

» Filed Under Latest News

Comments

Leave a Reply