The financial situation of a household greatly affects the health of each family member, but a new study revealed that the way poverty influences children's health is different from society's current notions.

Researchers in Britain discovered that children with poorer financial situations are three times as likely to be obese at the age of 11 years old as compared to their richer peers.

In a report issued in The European Journal of Public Health, researchers at the University College London assessed figures from a previous study that tracked about 20,000 families in Britain. They measured the children's sizes at the age of five years old and then again at the age of 11 years old.

At the age of five, poor children were twice as likely to be overweight compared to their well-off counterparts. About 6.6 percent of children from poorest families were obese, while about 3.5 percent of children from richest families were obese.

At the age of 11, nearly 7.9 percent of the poorest children were obese, while only 2.9 percent of richest children were the same.

The authors of the study took note of the children's health and environment behaviors. They examined factors such as mothers who smoked during pregnancy, how long the children were breast-fed, and if the child was introduced to solid food before turning four months old. They also looked at whether the mother was obese or overweight.

Lead author professor Yvonne Kelly said that children who become obese face negative social and economic outcomes. The causes behind childhood obesity may lie in the economic and psychological aspects, she said. This is why the issue needs to be directly addressed.

Kelly said the structural causes of inequalities and inherited obesity factors associated with lower incomes also need to be examined thoroughly. She emphasized there should be early intervention in order to ensure the well-being of children.

"Evidence from our work suggests that this should start before birth or even conception," said Kelly.

However, researchers said one of the study's limitations is that it does not fully explain income inequalities in relation to childhood obesity. Some other factors should be taken into account. They also did not find any direct causal link between risk factors for obesity and income inequalities.

In the end, the authors of the study recommend that further research should be made in the aspect of socio-economic factors and childhood obesity.

Photo : Gaulsstin | Flickr