About 60% of women with children aged five
or younger are working
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Children whose mothers work are less likely
to lead healthy lives than those with "stay at home" mums, a study says.
The
Institute of Child Health study of more than 12,500 five-year-olds
found those with working mothers less active and more likely to eat
unhealthy food.
Other experts said more work was needed to see
if the results applied to other age groups. The study is in the Journal
of Epidemiology and Child Health.
About 60% of mothers with children aged up to five are
estimated to be in work.
Results
The mothers were asked about the hours they worked and their
children's diet, exercise levels and sedentary activities.
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 With
many more mums having no choice but to work these days and with
government policy actively encouraging it, it is difficult to know how
mums can do better 
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A third of the mothers had not worked since the birth of
their
child, but the mothers who were employed were spending an average of 21
hours a week at work.
They took into account factors likely to
influence the results, such as the mothers' level of education and
socioeconomic circumstances.
They found that five-year-olds
whose mothers worked part-time or full-time were more likely to
primarily consume sweetened drinks between meals.
They used
their computers or watched television for at least two hours a day
compared to the children of "stay at home" mums who spent less than two
hours on these activities.
They were also more likely to be
driven to school compared to the children of "stay at home" mothers who
tended to walk or cycle.
The children whose mothers had a
flexible working pattern did have healthier lifestyles but when other
factors were taken into account the researchers said there was little
evidence that these children behaved more healthily.
'Time constraints'
Debbie Bird: "'Being a working mum is very
challenging"
Professor Catherine Law, who led the study said: "For many
families the only parent or both parents will be working.
"Time
constraints may limit parents' capacity to provide their children with
healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity.
"Our results do not imply that mothers should not work.
"Rather they highlight the need for policies and programmes to
help support parents."
The
same children took part in an earlier study by the Institute of Child
Health (ICH) which found that those with working mothers were more
likely to be obese or overweight by the age of three.
In the
latest study, many of the five-year-olds were engaging in health
behaviours likely to promote excess weight gain: 37% were mainly eating
crisps and sweets between meals, 41% were consuming sweetened drinks
and 61% used the television or a computer at least two hours daily.
'Controversial research'
Glenys
Jones, nutritionist with the Medical Research Council Human Nutrition
Research, said the study was interesting because of limited research so
far on the impact of maternal employment on child health choices.
"More
work is needed to take into account factors such as how related health
behaviours are affected and if the age of the child alters the
relationships observed."
Sally Russell, a spokesman for
Netmums, said: "The stress and guilt associated with being a working
mum is something we are all too well aware of. This report adds to that
guilt.
"With many more mums having no choice but to work these
days and with government policy actively encouraging it, it is
difficult to know how mums can do better. "
A Department of
Health spokesman said: "Our Change4Life movement is already helping
over 370,000 families eat well, move more and live longer by helping
them to understand the harm that fat and added sugar can cause to
children's health, and offering them simple yet effective ways to make
changes to their diet and increase their activity levels."
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