“Sugar and syrup drive me insane,’’ said Alexander. “Maybe a plain old chicken breast instead of nuggets or bean burritos?’’
When parents work outside the home, caregivers often have a large role in forming young children’s eating habits and food preferences, as well as promoting exercise and healthy activity levels.
About 63 percent of the 21 million American children under age 5 are in some form of day care and spend about 29 hours a week there, according to the 2010 US Census. At the same time, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in seven low-income preschoolers is obese, as well as 17 percent of all children and adolescents.
While most anti-obesity campaigns are aimed at educating families on how to buy and prepare healthier foods, two recent studies have called for a secondary focus: early child-care providers.
A report published this month in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found lax standards in place for nutrition and exercise in child-care settings across the country and huge differences among states, which set and enforce their own regulations.
Researchers from the Duke University Medical Center and the public health schools at the University of Minnesota and University of North Carolina assessed 42 studies on anti-obesity efforts, which included reviews of state regulations and child-care practices.
They found that in general, American children in child care are too sedentary and are not getting enough nutrients, even when served a variety of foods.
“Eating and activity behaviors formed during the preschool years have the potential to prevent obesity in the short term and, if carried into adulthood, to set the stage for a lifetime of better health,’’ the research team wrote.
In Massachusetts, licensed child-care providers - including private and nonprofit centers, in-home day cares and preschools - must follow two regulations aimed at obesity prevention: Provide one hour of physical activity every six hours, and follow US Department of Agriculture guidelines, which say meals should include fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, and low-fat dairy.
