Do working mums harm children's health?
30 September 2009
Many mothers don't have a choice but to go out to work - and they shouldn't feel guilty about doing so. 
Dr Paula Franklin, director of healthcare development, Bupa
New research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health claims that children of working mothers are unhealthier than those whose mothers stay at home. According to the study, children whose mothers work tend to have poorer dietary habits and take part in more sedentary activities, which could contribute to childhood obesity.
However, Dr Paula Franklin, director of healthcare development at Bupa, warns that the findings of the study are not so clear cut and should not prevent mothers from going back to work.
The researchers, from the UCL Institute of Child Health in the UK, analysed data from more than 12,500 five-year-olds, who took part in the UK Millennium Cohort Study. In the study, the children's mothers reported information about their working patterns since the birth of their child, as well as about their child's diet and activity levels.
The analysis of the data took into account certain other factors such as the mother's ethnicity, socio-economic status, education, age, how many other children there were in the household and household income. The researchers found that after adjustment, children whose mothers worked part-time or full-time were more likely to drink sweetened drinks between meals, watch television or use computers/play electronic games and be driven to school.
Children of mothers who worked full-time were also less likely to snack on fruit or vegetables, compared with other types of food, and were less likely to eat three or more portions of fruit a day. The authors didn't find an association between whether a mother worked and whether their child took part in organised physical activity for three or more days a week.
The researchers suggest that the results of the study may explain the association between working mothers and childhood obesity that has been seen in previous studies.
However, Dr Franklin notes that there were some problems with the study: "This study only looked at children at one particular age - and also used very specific questions to evaluate children's health behaviours. The authors didn't look at whether the children who had more of the 'unhealthy' habits were actually more obese."
It's also worth noting that before the authors adjusted the results to take into account other factors - such as socio-economic status and education - the children of working mothers tended to have healthier habits.
Dr Franklin explained: "This highlights the fact that it's not just whether a mother goes out to work or not that determines how healthy their child is - other factors such as parents' age, background and education can also have a significant effect."
She added, "Many mothers don't have a choice but to go out to work - and they shouldn't feel guilty about doing so. This study should just serve as a reminder to parents who work to make sure they still take the time to provide their children with a healthy diet and lifestyle."
| Key facts |
|---|
|
The trial looked at data from 12,576 children.
|
Related information
Read the study
Examining the relationship between maternal employment and health behaviours in 5-year-old British children. Sherburne Hawkins S, Cole T J, Law C. J Epidemiol Community Health 2009;0:1-6. doi: 10.1136/jech.2008.084590
Back to the latest health news
