Department of Public Administration and Policy, School of Public Affairs, American University, Washington, DC 20016, USA.
Child Dev. 2011 Jan-Feb;82(1):66-81. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01541.x.
Previous work has shown that mothers' employment is associated with increases in children's body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight for height. Nonstandard work (working evenings or nights, weekends, or an irregular shift) may also be associated with children's BMI. This article examines the association between maternal work and children's BMI and considers the influence of mothers' nonstandard work schedules. Using data from school-age children (approximately 8 to 12 years) in the NICHD's Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 990), this study found that an increase in the total time a mother is employed is associated with an increase in her child's BMI; additionally, the association between maternal employment and children's weight is much stronger at 6th grade relative to younger ages. There was no evidence that maternal or home characteristics or children's time use mediated these associations, nor was there any evidence that nonstandard work was associated with children's BMI. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.
先前的研究表明，母亲的就业与儿童体重指数（BMI）的增加有关，BMI 是衡量身高体重的指标。非标准工作（上夜班或通宵班、周末工作或不规则班次）也可能与儿童的 BMI 有关。本文研究了母亲工作与儿童 BMI 之间的关系，并考虑了母亲非标准工作时间表的影响。本研究使用了 NICHD 的儿童早期照料和发展研究（NICHD 的 Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development，N = 990）中 8 至 12 岁学龄儿童的数据，发现母亲工作时间的增加与孩子的 BMI 增加有关；此外，与较年轻的年龄相比，母亲就业与儿童体重之间的关联在 6 年级时要强得多。没有证据表明母亲或家庭特征或儿童的时间利用会影响这些关联，也没有证据表明非标准工作与儿童的 BMI 有关。讨论了这些发现对政策和未来研究的意义。
