Make Your Child Follow a Routine, It Can Help Cut Obesity Risk

Discipline is paramount and that is what most parents seem to struggle with while parenting their children these days. Believe it or not, the daily routine of your child affects various aspects of his/her development. Experts from the Ohio State University, United States believe that a child's routine can determine his/her risk of developing obesity. Meal timings, bed time as well as hours spent watching television, all this may affect your child's emotional health and make them susceptible to obesity later in life.Experts studied close to eleven thousand 3-year old children and studies their household routines including regular mealtime, daily bed time as well time spent watching television or playing video games. Researchers compared these to parents' reports of two aspects of children's self-regulation at that same age. They then investigated how the routines and self- regulation worked together to impact obesity at age 11, defined based on international criteria.(Also Read: One in Every Three Indian Kids Has Unhealthy BMI: Reveals Survey)
 
The study was published in the International Journal of Obesity and found that children with greater emotional dysregulation were more likely to be obese later, researchers said. All three household routines were associated with better emotional self-regulation - a measure based on parents' responses to questions such as how easily the child becomes frustrated or over-excited, researchers said. The absence of a regular preschool bedtime was an independent predictor of obesity at 11. Obesity risk increased even when children "usually" had a regular bedtime, as opposed to "always." The risk was greatest for those who had the least amount of consistency in their bedtimes, researchers said."We saw that children who had the most difficulties with emotion regulation at age 3 also were more likely to be obese at age 11," said Sarah Anderson, an associate professor in Ohio State University.Inputs from PTI