I think I have calmed down enough to write about this. The tabloid and radio headlines a few weeks ago declared that if you were a child of a working mother, you were likely to be “less healthy” or “fatter and lazier” than children of non-working mothers. Yes, I’m sensitive about the care my children get. Guilt and worry are my bedfellows, despite knowing that my children love being looked after by people more patient and creative than I am.
The paper prompting my angst appeared in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health; it asked if there was a relationship between the hours a mother worked and her children’s diets and physical activity. The researchers analysed data provided by mothers of more than 12,500 five-year-olds.
They found that children whose mothers worked were more likely to drink unhealthy drinks, spend more “inactive” time on the computer or watching TV, and be driven to school than children of mothers who had never been employed. Children of mothers who worked full time were also less likely to eat healthy snacks between meals or have enough fruit in their diet.
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Margaret McCartney
Clive Cookson
Andrew Jack