1. Breastfeeding:
According to Eat For Health; Australian Dietary Guidelines, there is convincing evidence that breastfeeding infants, compared with formula feeding, is associated with a reduced risk of becoming obese in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood.
2. Birth weight:
Increased birth weight, especially above 4,000g, is associated with increased risk of overweight or obesity in childhood, adolescence and later life.
There is a J- or U-shaped relationship between birth weight and increased risk of child or adult obesity, with both low birth weight and high birth weight babies at increased risk.
3. Childhood weight gain:
There is convincing evidence that excess weight gain relative to height during childhood is associated with increased risk of being overweight later in life.
4.Parental weight:
There is convincing evidence that parental overweight or obesity is associated with increased risk of child overweight or obesity. The risk is greater when both parents (rather than one) are overweight or obese.
5. Maternal smoking:
There is evidence that babies born to mothers who smoke during pregnancy, as an independent risk factor, probably have a higher risk of becoming overweight or obese in adolescence and adulthood.
6. Television:
Recent evidence suggests that hours spent watching television by children is associated with increased risk of overweight or obesity.
Media use, including television viewing, may displace time children spend in physical activities and eating meals and snacks in front of the television may also be associated with increased energy intake.
7. Socioeconomic status:
There is evidence from developed countries to suggest that a low family income or socioeconomic status is associated with increased risk of overweight or obesity during childhood, adolescence and young adulthood.
Similarly, the evidence suggests that low socioeconomic status is associated with an increased risk of overweight or obesity.
Although there were insufficient studies to make an evidence statement, other factors associated with increased risk of overweight and obesity throughout life as per the Eat For Health; Australian Dietary Guidelines, included:
* being overweight in adolescence
* consuming takeaway food and low-quality snacks
* childhood smoking
* increased price of fruit and vegetables
* low self-esteem and/or depression
* low locus of control score
* stressful family life
* food insecurity
* self-reported dieting, particularly in girls
* inadequate sleep
– low rates of breakfast consumption.