Children whose mothers go out to work are likely to lead unhealthier lifestyles than those whose mums don't work, suggests research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

They are more sedentary and are more likely to be driven to school, the research shows.

The researchers base their findings on more than 12,500 five year old singleton children who were part of the UK Millennium Cohort Study.

The mothers were quizzed about the hours they worked and their children's diet, exercise levels, and sedentary activities.

Questions included how much of sweets and crisps, sugary drinks, fruits and vegetables the child consumed, and whether they took part in organised exercise and how they got to school.

Mothers were also asked how long their child spent in front of a TV or computer each day.

After taking account of factors likely to influence the results, such as maternal education and socioeconomic circumstances, the findings showed that children whose mothers worked part, or full time, were more likely to primarily consume sugary drinks between meals than kids whose mothers had never worked.

These children were also more likely to spend at least 2 hours a day in front of the TV or at a computer, and they were more likely to be driven to school rather than walk or cycle.

Children whose mothers worked full time were also less likely to primarily snack on fruit and vegetables between meals, or to eat three or more portions of fruit a day.

Those whose mothers worked flexi time were likely to have healthier lifestyles, but once other influential factors had been taken into consideration, there was little evidence that these children behaved more healthily.

While the work patterns of dads have changed relatively little in recent decades, those of mothers have. Around 60% of mothers with children under 5 in the US and the UK now go out to work, say the authors.

But busy working parents may have less time to give their children healthy foods and opportunities for exercise, say the authors, who cite previous research, suggesting a link between working mothers and a higher risk of obesity in their children.

"Our results do not imply that mothers should not work," they say. "Rather, they highlight the need for policies and programmes to help support parents" to create a healthy environment for their children.

They suggest that dietary guidelines for children in formal care, similar to those already adopted in Scotland might be applied in the UK, for example.

Source
The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health