Getting children to sleep might help avoid obesity

Scientists have drawn up a check-list of early warning signs of child obesity, among them too much television and not enough sleep. More than eight hours of TV a week or less than 10 1/2 hours of sleep a night for a 3-year-old increase the risk of piling on the pounds, they say. ''There are certain factors, very early on, which can set you on a particular path in life to becoming obese," said Dr. John Reilly, an expert on child obesity at the University of Glasgow. Other factors that Reilly said can lead to obesity are high birth weight, rapid weight gain, quick growth in years one and two, early body fat, and having obese parents. A propensity to gain weight begins early, even in the womb. ''If you are big early on and you grow rapidly, it seems to predict risk of obesity later on," Reilly said. His study of more than 9,000 7-year-old children whose growth had been followed since birth was published online by the British Medical Journal last week. ''We shouldn't be complacent about the lifestyles of our children."

REUTERS