23% of 3-year-olds are overweight or obese (Hawkins et al, 2009), rising to one third of 11-13 year olds, one in six of whom have high blood pressure, and one in ten, high cholesterol (Brophy et al, 2012)
The Father Factor – the early years
95% of parents are in a couple relationship or describe themselves as ‘good friends’ at the time of the birth (Kiernan & Smith, 2003)
Fathers have substantial impact on pregnant women’s nutrition (Clift-Matthews, 2009)
Fathers gain weight during pregnancy, mainly due to lifestyle factors (Onepoll, 2009)
Fathers have substantial impact on whether babies are breastfed, and breastfed babies are less likely to be obese later (Armstrong et al, 2002)
Toddlers’ activity levels are linked with their father’s (but not their mother’s) BMI (Sallis et al, 1988).