From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-378968-294257
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (UPI) -- Babies cared for by licensed day-care
centers, informal child-care providers or relatives weigh more than
babies cared for by parents, U.S. researchers found.
Juhee Kim of the University of Illinois and Karen Peterson of Harvard
University's School of Public Health say the results of this study
indicate that structural characteristics of child care were all
related to infant feeding practices and weight gain among a
representative sample of U.S. infants.
Kim and Peterson analyzed baseline data from a nationally
representative sample of 8,150 9-month-old infants to determine
whether infant-feeding practices and non-parental care might be a
factor in the rise in weight of the infants.
The study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent
Medicine, found infants in part-time child care gained more weight --
6 ounces -- by 9 months of age, compared with those receiving only
parental care. Those cared for by relatives also showed a weight gain
of 5.7 ounces
The researchers' findings could have significant public-health
ramifications, as weight gain in infancy can ultimately be a predictor
of obesity later in life.