Skipping breakfast and insufficient sleep ‘can increase children’s risk of weight gain’

Children who do not get enough sleep and skip breakfast are more likely to become overweight, according to a new study.

The University College London research examined patterns of body mass index (BMI) development in the first ten years of a child's life, looking at data from 19,244 families, before examining the lifestyle factors that predicted weight gain.

Mothers smoking in pregnancy, children skipping breakfast and not having a regular bedtime or sufficient sleep were all seen to play important roles in predicting whether children would become overweight or obese.

Although the observational nature of the information does not allow firm cause-and-effect conclusions to be drawn, the report hints at the significant role that modifiable risk factors play in influencing weight gain.

Research leader Yvonne Kelly, a professor of epidemiology and public health at University College London, said: "These findings support the need for intervention strategies aimed at multiple spheres of influence on BMI growth."

It is known that being overweight or obese can often result in a child having poorer mental health, leading to issues such as low self-esteem, unhappiness and risky behaviours such as cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption in later life.

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