Parents urged to tackle baby obesity

Tuesday December 6th, 2011

Parents are being asked whether they would welcome more help to prevent their babies becoming too fat - after a study identified key areas of confusion.

Researchers found that parents were often confused about the benefits of breast milk.

And while health visitors and nursery nurses were expert at helping with breast-feeding, it was the GPs who had the best knowledge about the risks of a young child gaining too much fat. But they believed that health visitors should advise parents on feeding.

The project at Nottingham University's school of nursing aims to find ways to predict and prevent obesity in early childhood.

Now researchers are calling for parents to give them more views on how much help they would welcome.

The study found parents concerned about whether breast-milk was adequate for a child's growth - and confused over when to start weaning. Some believed it was desirable for a baby to be large and chubby while others believed a baby's crying always meant hunger.

Researcher Sarah Redsell, a health visitor, said: "We are keen to hear parents' opinions about whether or not healthcare professionals should be trying to prevent childhood obesity by identifying babies who may be at risk."

Tags: Child Health | Diet & Food | Nursing & Midwifery | UK News | Women’s Health & Gynaecology

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