For Kids, Summer May Not Be So Slim

For kids, when school's out for summer, that healthy body weight may go out the window, too, a new study found.

Rates of childhood obesity and overweight appeared to rise during summer vacation — not during the school year — this University of Texas at Austin study found.

The researchers behind this study looked at more than 18,000 children from kindergarten through second grade. It was during the summers that the kids' weight tended to jump up — not the school years.

These researchers speculated that school-based healthy eating and exercise programs may be helping to keep children's weight in a normal range during the school year, but the effects of those programs may not last through the summer.

The study authors called for new programs that try to change children's behaviors when they are outside of school — not just when they're in school.

This study was published in the journal Obesity. 

A grant from the Russell Sage Foundation funded this research. The study authors disclosed no conflicts of interest.