by Claudia Boyd-Barrett posted in Mom Stories

Want to half your child?s risk of obesity without even thinking about food intake and physical activity" Try getting her to bed early.
A recent study published in the journal Pediatrics found that preschool-aged children who went to bed by 8 p.m. were much less likely to become obese as teenagers than preschoolers who went to bed after 9 p.m.
Researchers with Ohio State University analyzed data on almost 1,000 children born in the United States in 1991 who were part of a larger study. They looked at the children?s typical weekday bedtimes at around age 4 ½, as reported by their mothers. Then they examined height and weight measurements taken when the children reached age 15.
About a quarter of the kids went to bed at 8 p.m. or earlier. Half went to bed between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., and another quarter after 9 p.m.
The researchers found that among the preschoolers who went to bed at 8 p.m. or earlier, just 1 in 10 were obese by the time they were teens. Teen obesity affected 16 percent of the kids whose preschool bedtimes fell between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Among preschoolers with the latest bedtimes, teen obesity rates soared to 23 percent.
The study accounted for differences such as socioeconomic status, maternal obesity, and parenting style.
Although the study doesn?t prove that late bedtimes are a cause of teen obesity, it does add to existing evidence linking poor quality sleep to weight gain. The results suggest timing of s...