Self-regulation and household routines at age three and obesity at age eleven: longitudinal analysis of the UK Millennium Cohort Study.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Prospective longitudinal cohort study
PubMed 28435162 · doi:10.1038/ijo.2017.94
What was done
Researchers analyzed data from 10,955 children in the UK Millennium Cohort Study to evaluate whether household routines (regular bedtime, regular mealtime, and screen time limits) and parent-reported emotional and cognitive self-regulation (via the Child Social Behaviour Questionnaire) at age 3 predicted obesity at age 11. Child height and weight were directly measured at age 11, with obesity defined using International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria. Multivariable logistic regression was used to adjust for sociodemographic covariates.
What was found
At age 3, 41% of children always had regular bedtimes, 47% always had regular mealtimes, and 23% were limited to ≤1 hour of television/video daily. At age 11, 6.2% of children were obese. All three routines were significantly associated with better emotional self-regulation, but not cognitive self-regulation. In multivariable models, a 1-unit difference in emotional self-regulation at age 3 was associated with an OR of 1.38 (95% CI: 1.11 to 1.71) for obesity at age 11, and inconsistent bedtimes were associated with an OR of 1.87 (95% CI: 1.39 to 2.51) for obesity at age 11. Emotional self-regulation did not mediate the relationship between bedtime routines and obesity, and cognitive self-regulation was not associated with later obesity.
Why it matters
This study highlights that early childhood bedtime consistency and emotional self-regulation are distinct, independent predictors of later childhood obesity. Targeting household routines in early childhood may represent an actionable strategy for long-term obesity prevention.
Limits
Routines and self-regulation at age 3 relied entirely on parent-report rather than direct or objective measures, introducing potential reporting and recall bias. Because this is an observational study, residual confounding cannot be ruled out and causality cannot be established.
Cited by
- supports A study conducted in England showed that infants and toddlers with regular scheduled bedtimes and meal times were protected against childhood obesity 5 to 7 years later.