| Family meals,adequate sleep and limited TV time | | | | routines. Each one appears to be associated with |
| may lower childhood obesity. | | | | a lower rate of obesity in these pre school |
| A new national study suggests that pre | | | | children, and it seems that having more than one |
| school-aged children are likely to have a lower risk | | | | of these routines appears to lower the risk. |
| for obesity if they regularly engage in one or | | | | The research suggests that an approach to |
| more of three specific household routines: eating | | | | obesity prevention that emphasizes these routines |
| dinner as a family, getting adequate sleep and | | | | might be acceptable to parents and pediatricians |
| limiting their weekday television viewing time. | | | | because adopting these practices could enhance |
| In a large sample study of the U.S. population, the | | | | child well-being without a need to focus entirely on |
| study showed that four year olds living in homes | | | | weight. |
| with all three routines had an almost forty per | | | | It is recognized, it may be more difficult for some |
| cent lower prevalence of obesity than did children | | | | families than others to have regular meals |
| living in homes that practiced none of these | | | | together, to ensure the child gets enough sleep, |
| routines. | | | | and to limit the child's television time. However, |
| It is suggested that households practicing none of | | | | given their specific circumstances and constraints, |
| these routines, adopting just one could lower a | | | | families with young children may want to consider |
| child's risk of becoming obese, and having two or | | | | what it would take for them to have these |
| three of the routines was more proactive than | | | | routines for their child. I feel we should support |
| one. | | | | parents in their efforts to establish and maintain |
| I imagine people are going to want to know which | | | | these household routines, |
| one of the routines is the most important. Is it | | | | This is a huge problem and I am thankful the |
| the limiting of television, is it a family dinner, or is | | | | Federal Government is finally getting |
| it adequate sleep? And what I have read | | | | involved--thank you, thank you!! |
| suggests that you can't point to any one of these | | | | |