Poor preschool eating habits risk later health issues

Dietary habits developed by children while they are still in preschool could have a significant impact on their health in later life.
This is according to research led by Dr Nav Persaud at St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto – who studied data from more than 1,000 nursery pupils recruited through the TARGet Kids! programme.
This collaboration between paediatric physicians and researchers allowed Dr Persaud to follow children’s health from birth and parents regularly filled in questionnaires that assessed their infant’s diets.
Additionally, the ethnicity of participants in the research was noted, as some groups are at higher risk of developing heart disease than others.
Dr Persaud said: “There are a lot of interventions focused on what children are eating … it’s also important we focus on eating behaviours because how a child is eating can affect the quantity of food being eaten as well.”
The expert added if children watch television while they eat, they are less likely to know when to stop as they are not concentrating on the amount they have consumed.