Community Corner

Moms Talk: Are Working Moms to Blame for Childhood Obesity?

In our second Moms Talk discussion, we ask whether a mother's career has anything to do with a child's weight gain.

More than 70 percent of American mothers with young children work outside the home, but according to a recently released study, their jobs may be leading to their children's weight gain.

The Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development involved 990 children living in 10 cities throughout the country. The study's researchers tracked mothers' employment and their kids' Body Mass Index—a measurement of body fat based on a person's weight and height—throughout the time when those children were in the third, fifth and sixth grades.

What they discovered was that the total number of years a woman worked had some effect on her child's BMI. The study states that for about every five-month period a mother is employed, her child gains about a pound more than what is normal for kids in the same age group. Over time, this slight weight gain could lead to a child being overweight.

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The researchers don't have a specific reason why this relationship exists, but it could be a number of factors—mothers may have less time to grocery shop, make home cooked meals and ensure their kids eat breakfast.

Rye Patch readers, what do you think of the study?

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Here's this week's discussion topic:

Are working moms at all responsible for their children's weight gain? Do some stay-at-home moms experience the same challenges?

Why do you think there was a link between the number of years a woman worked and her child's weight? Is it fair to put this all on moms and aren't dads equally as responsible for what their kids eat—or shouldn't they be?

Please take a moment to weigh in on this debate in the comments below.


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