Moms+Part Time Jobs = Healthier Kids

A friend passed me a very interesting article today published on themedguru.com by Neharika Sabharwal detailing the lasting findings on research conducted by the University of New England (UNE). The study, led byJan Nicholson, principal research fellow at Melbourne’s Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, found that women with flexible work schedules raised healthier kids.

The study, titled "Do Working Mothers Raise Couch Potato Kids?,"cites findings that show no great difference in health (measured by TV time, height/weight, amount of exercise) among working and non-working mothers. In fact, the healthiest combination was with mothers working part-time and flexible solutions.

Nicholson states several theories, from "quality vs. quantity" of time of working mothers to the way mothers working part-time run their households. What do our friends down under know that we don't?

I know from my own personal experience that I plan and prepare better meals and snacks when I'm busy, working and running an efficient household. I get laziest around the holidays and in August when work slows down and schedules grind to a halt. Of course, the study concludes with "more research is required."