Obesity prevention should begin as early as two years old according to recent paediatric research in the United States.

The study suggests that children reach a “tipping point” at the age of two that if left unchecked could lead to an obesity problem later in life.

The medical records of over 100 overweight children were examined. All of the children were measured for height and weight a minimum of five times during visits to a paediatric practice with the average age being twelve years old.

Those children with a Body Mass Index (BMI) exceeding that of 85% of the general population were classed as overweight. Charting the recorded BMI of the children through infancy, researchers found obese children began to gain weight at an average of 0.8 excess Body Mass Index units a month in infancy.

This progression began on average at three months and over half the children could be classed as overweight by the time they reached two years old, 90% before reaching five.

John W. Harrington, a paediatrician at Virginia’s Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, conducted the study with fellow paediatrician Vu Nguyen and Lawrence Pasquinelli, M.D.

“This study suggests that doctors may want to start reviewing the diet of children during early child visits,” said Dr. Harrington.

Find a local practitioner