Gran's care can make kids obese

London, Feb 15 (ANI): Children who are looked after by their grandparents are likely to be obese, a new study has suggested.

The extensive University College London study, which included 12,000 three-year olds, found that the risk was 34 percent higher if grandparents cared for them full time.

However, kids who went to nursery or had a childminder had no increased risk of weight problems, the International Journal of Obesity reported.

Study leader Professor Catherine Law said the study did not look at why grandparent care was associated with being overweight but that indulgence of children and lack of physical exercise were two possible explanations, reports The BBC.

"One of the ways forward would be to talk to small groups of grandparents to see the challenges they face.

"Some of the things that might help would be educating the population in general about healthy lifestyles but also things like avoiding food as a reward and suggestions for building activities into daily life," she said. (ANI)