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Child care: implications for overweight / obesity in Canadian children?
L McLaren1, M Zarrabi, D J Dutton
1Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. lmclaren@ucalgary.ca
Insights
Child care arrangements impact children's weight. Non-relative care was linked to increased Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile in boys and low-income girls, highlighting the need for further research.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Child Development
- Public Health Policy
Background:
- Rising childhood obesity rates globally.
- Increased maternal workforce participation and demand for childcare.
- Limited understanding of childcare's impact on child BMI in Canada.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between childcare type and changes in children's Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile in Canada.
- To inform policy regarding childcare options and childhood obesity prevention.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth.
- Examined three childcare types: non-relative care, relative care, and daycare centers.
- Assessed changes in BMI percentile from ages 2/3 to 6/7, controlling for covariates.
Main Results:
- Non-relative care was associated with increased BMI percentile in boys between ages 2/3 and 6/7.
- Girls from low-income households in non-relative care also showed increased BMI percentile.
- No significant associations were found for relative care or daycare centers in the overall analysis.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest certain informal childcare arrangements may be linked to adverse weight outcomes.
- Supports the need for research into the long-term health implications of diverse childcare experiences.
- Highlights potential policy implications for childcare quality and accessibility.
Introduction:
Over recent decades, two prominent trends have been observed in Canada and elsewhere: increasing prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity, and increasing participation of women (including mothers) in the paid labour force and resulting demand for child care options. While an association between child care and children's body mass index (BMI) is plausible and would have policy relevance, its existence and nature in Canada is not known.
Methods:
Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, we examined exposure to three types of care at age 2/3 years (care by non-relative, care by relative, care in a daycare centre) in relation to change in BMI percentile (continuous and categorical) between age 2/3 years and age 6/7 years, adjusting for health and sociodemographic correlates.
Results:
Care by a non-relative was associated with an increase in BMI percentile between age 2/3 years and age 6/7 years for boys, and for girls from households of low income adequacy.
Conclusion:
Considering the potential benefits of high-quality formal child care for an array of health and social outcomes and the potentially adverse effects of certain informal care options demonstrated in this study and others, our findings support calls for ongoing research on the implications of diverse child care experiences for an array of outcomes including those related to weight.
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