Fast-food intake may lead to weight gain in preschoolers

There is a strong link between the amount of fast food that preschool-age children consume and their likelihood of becoming overweight or obese, according to a new study published in Pediatric Obesity.

Previous research has shown that fast-food intake is common among children—about one-third of U.S. children consume fast food daily—and has suggested that there is an association between fast-food consumption and children becoming overweight or obese. But it hasn’t been clear whether eating fast food contributes independently to excess weight gain at such a young age.

To make this determination, the researchers followed a cohort of 541 children aged 3–5 and their families in New Hampshire for one year. The height and weight of the children were measured at the beginning and end of the study. Parents reported their children’s fast-food intake frequency weekly—from 11 fast-food chain restaurants—in six online surveys that were completed at two-month intervals.

The researchers found that at the beginning of the study, about 18% of the children were overweight, and nearly 10% were obese. Importantly, about 8% of children transitioned to a greater weight status over the year. The mean fast-food intake frequency among consumers was 2.1 times per week. The data showed that the risk of increasing weight status rose linearly with each additional time fast food was consumed in an average week over the study year.

“To our knowledge, ours is the first study to follow a cohort over time and to show that fast food, by itself, uniquely contributes to weight gain. Unlike with past research, we were able to adjust for other factors—such as exercise and screen time—that could possibly explain away this relationship,” said lead researcher Jennifer Emond, assistant professor of biomedical data science and of pediatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, in a university press release. “Findings from this research should be used to inform guidelines and policies that can reduce fast-food marketing exposure to children and help support parents who may be struggling to adopt healthier eating behaviors for their kids.”

Abstract

Press release