Physical Characteristics of Child Care Centers Can Lead to Better Baby Bodies, Says New Study
CINCINNATI -- Older infants in child care centers with small space are heavier and fatter than infants in larger centers, according to a Children's Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati study.
The study shows that 1-year-olds in child care centers with large square footage and a gross motor room have "better baby bodies" because they are more active, more mobile and explore their environments, according to Lizanne Mulligan, Ph.D., a physical therapist at Cincinnati Children's and the study's lead author.
Dr. Mulligan also found that at the age of 6 months, the infant/caregiver ratio had an effect on body fat, and the level of interaction between teachers and infants had an effect on a child's motor development. "Body fat was higher in centers with more infants per teacher," says Dr. Mulligan. "Although we didn't investigate it, one could speculate that in these centers, caregivers use devices such as infant seats, swings or walkers more than in centers with a lower ratio.
"In addition, infants' activity levels were higher in centers where the level of interaction with teachers was lower. It seems that many interactions with children of this age involve holding infants for soothing and nurturing. This decreases a child's activity level.", says Dr. Mulligan.
In choosing a child care center, parents should be encouraged to look at all aspects of the center, with particular attention to the infant/caregiver ratio, interactions between caregiver and infant, and the amount of space an infant has for playing and exploring, according to Dr. Mulligan.
"Parents should try to evaluate the overall quality of the child care center and how placement of their children there might enhance their children's development," she says.
The study, published in Pediatric Physical Therapy, involved 48 healthy boys and girls in 14 child care centers. At the age of six months, half the children were put into gross motor activity groups, and the other half into fine motor groups.
Standard scales, including the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the Children's Activity rating scales, were used to assess development and activity levels. All body measurements were taken at 6, 9 and 12 months of age at the Cincinnati Children's Clinical Research Center.
At the age of 6 months, percent body fat was higher in centers with an infant/caregiver ratio of 5:1 compared to centers with a ratio of four infants per one caregiver.
By 9 months, infants in centers with an infant/caregiver ratio of 5:1 had lower motor development scores than infants in centers with ratios of either 3:1 or 4:1.
At the age of 12 months, infants who spent time in a gross motor room were lighter and had less fat than infants who did not spend time in such a room. Infants in centers with lower square footage also had greater percent body fat than infants in centers with greater square footage.
Contact Information
Jim Feuer,
jfeuer@chmcc.org
