The path to diabetes and heart disease may begin in infancy for children in poor urban households, according to a nationwide study released this year that suggests as many as one-third of 3-year-olds in low-income families may be overweight or obese.
The study found the problem is even more pronounced in Hispanic households.
Researchers looked at several factors, such as television viewing hours, breast feeding and weight of the mother, and couldn’t explain why Hispanic children are more at risk, said Rachel Tolbert Kimbro, a researcher from the University of Wisconsin’s Institute for Research Into Poverty.