CHICAGO — Could kids be to blame for new parents’ bad health habits? A study found that mothers of young children were heavier and ate more calories, sugary drinks and fatty foods than childless women. Dads and moms in the study were less active than their peers without kids.
The study involved 1,520 adults age 25 on average, including parents with children younger than 5 years. They were among more than 4,000 Minneapolis-area public- school students enrolled in a study in their teens. The new study includes those who responded to two follow-up health surveys and answered questions about their diet and activity. Results are published online today in the journal Pediatrics.
Mothers ate more fatty foods and drank about seven sugary drinks weekly versus about four among childless women. Moms also consumed an average of 2,360 calories daily, 368 calories more than women without kids. With that many calories, women that age would need to be active to avoid gaining weight, walking more than 3 miles daily at a moderate pace.
But mothers got on average a little more than two hours of at least moderate activity weekly versus three hours weekly among childless women. Mothers had a slightly higher average body-mass index than childless women — 27 versus 26. Healthy BMIs are in the 19-24 range.
Fathers ate about the same amount of daily calories as childless men, and both had an average BMI of about 25, but fathers got less physical activity — about five hours weekly, compared with almost seven hours among childless men.
