Appetite in infancy- a link to later obesity?

Is appetite inherited in early infancy and could it be a possible link to future obesity? A recent study has looked at whether certain appetite traits are inherited during the first 3 months of life, while the infant is still consuming an all milk diet.

Getting preschoolers to eat more veggies!

Increasing the portion size of vegetables served as a first course in a meal, can be effective in getting 3-5 year old children to eat more vegetables.

Differences in health service use between infants of English speaking and non-English speaking backgrounds

Australian infants from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) are less likely to use maternal and child health services, GPs and hospital outpatient clinics than infants from English speaking backgrounds (ESB).

Pregnant women need more dietary guidance

A recent study in the journal Nutrition and Dietetics has shown that although pregant women regard eating a nutritious and healthy diet during pregancy as important, most have poor quality diets lacking in the recommended daily serves of fruits and vegetables. Over one third of them also gained more weight than recommended (1).

Reducing obesity in early childhood - results of Romp & Chomp

The community wide early childhood intervention program, Romp & Chomp, has shown that the promotion of healthy eating and active play reduces childhood overweight and obesity and improves children's diets (1).

The Promotion of Breast Feeding Intervention Trial (PROBIT)

An overview of the findings of the first two stages of the PROBIT trial on prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding, including an interview with Dr Michael  Kramer, the trial’s leader.

Feeding preterm milk with higher levels of DHA does not influence language or behaviour in early childhood

A follow-up Australian study of preterm infants enrolled in the DINO (Docosahexaenoic acid for the Improvement in Neurodevelopmental Outcome) trial has found that feeding preterm milks with higher levels of DHA than that currently available does not improve language at age 26 months, nor behaviour or temperament at age 3-5 years (1).  

Household routines may prevent obesity in preschoolers

A study published in the journal Paediatrics has found that preschoolers living in households where they routinely eat meals with the family, get adequate sleep and have limits on the amount of time they can spend watching TV/videos, were less obese than those who came from households without these routines (1).

Encouraging children to eat their veges!

Many parents struggle to get their children to eat  vegetables. The Australian National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (1) found only 25% of children aged 2-8 years eat the recommended 2-4 serves of vegetables per day. For those aged 9-16 years, only 1-11% are meeting recommended intakes. A Dutch study has looked at whether giving children a choice of vegetables at mealtimes increases their liking and intake of vegetables compared to when given no choice (2) . 

Risk factors for predicting childhood obesity at age 5 years

Childhood overweight and obesity is a concern world wide. A UK study has identified risk factors which can help predict whether a child will be obese at age 5 years (1). Identifying such factors can assist health professionals put in place targeted preventative strategies.