There has been wide media interest in a study published recently by the British Medical Journal.
Exercise Without Diet Not Enough To Prevent Childhood Obesity
Scottish preschoolers were given three 30-minute sessions of exercise per week over a six month period. Their parents were given advice on how to get their children to be more active at home. There was no change to diet.
The researchers who monitored them found that this amount of exercise made no difference to the children’s BMI but did help their motor skills. They suggest that interventions to prevent early childhood obesity require changes not just at pre-school and in the home, but also in the wider environment.
Read more: Medical News Today, 6 Oct 2006
Child obesity solution not simple
“Researchers from the University of Glasgow found that pupils at nursery school who took part in exercise classes were no slimmer than other children. It is thought the children compensated for activity by eating more, or taking it easy for the rest of the day.”
Read more: BBC, 5 Oct 2006
Physical activity to prevent obesity in young children: cluster randomised controlled trial
Concludes that “physical activity can significantly improve motor skills but did not reduce body mass index in young children in this trial.”
Read the abstract: British Medical Journal, 6 Oct 2006
Exercise ‘does not prevent obesity in pre-school children’
Read more: The Independent, 6 Oct 2006