The chubby little baby may be the archetype of cute, and may draw adoring glances from all around, but a new study shows that obesity can start worryingly early in life; that obesity can start as early as 9 months of age.
According to lead author of the study, Brian Moss from the Wayne State University at Detroit, it was surprising to find that the prevalence rates of overweight children was a trend that began at such an early age.
The findings of the study are based on data collected from more than 16 thousand American kids for the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort in 2001. Their analysis revealed that nearly 32% of 9 month old babies and more than 34% of 2 year olds were either obese or were at risk of obesity.
The study found that boys were more at risk than girls and that racial groups such as Hispanics, as well as lower income group kids were more at risk. Pacific islanders and Asian Americans were seen to be at lower risk.
Being overweight at 9 months tends to predispose kids to obesity later in life, found researchers and therefore warned that it is critical for parents to monitor nutritional intake of their new born, since this is the main constituent of their weight status.
