More than a third of disadvantaged 3-year-olds in Chicago and other major U.S. cities are overweight or obese, according to a new study that supports the notion that the struggle with obesity often begins in early childhood.

Hispanic children from low-income families were most at risk, with 44 percent either overweight or obese, compared with 32 percent for white and African-American children from similar households.

The study’s authors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison also identified several practices that may protect kids from excessive weight gain, including breast-feeding for at least six months and not allowing children to take a bottle to bed…

Experts said one lesson from the findings is that parents should take advantage of the window of time when they have the most control over their children’s diet. After age 3, when kids start choosing more food on their own, their eating habits may already be set.

Source: Chicago Tribune
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