Parents unintentionally risk obesity in babies later in life by adopting bad feeding behavior, a latest study shows.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina analysed data collected from 863 low-income parents with babies aged two months. They were asked about their feeding behaviors.
The researchers found that only 19 percent of the parents reported breast-feeding their infants exclusively while 45 percent said they only fed their children formula milk.
"Breast-feeding likely lowers the risk of childhood obesity to some extent," lead researcher Dr. Eliana Perrin, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, reports HealthDay.
The researchers found at least one bad feeding habit in parents that could increase their babies' obesity risk in future. They found that the parents let their infants sleep with bottles. The findings also showed that almost half of the parents watched TV while feeding .
The study also showed that 12 percent of parents introduced their child to solid food at four months and 38 percent made sure their infants finished the bottle of milk. This can pose a problem as the newborns might not be hungry, and give clues by turning away or pursing their lips.
Perrin said that "one of the best things" parents can do is to observe when they are truly hungry instead of giving food in response to something else like every time they cry.
Childhood obesity has doubled in children and quadrupled in teens in the last 30 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity can lead to severe health conditions such as high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels later in life.
More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Pediatrics.
