BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhuanet) -- A new study reveals in the UK that children from middle class families are more likely to be overweight or obese than those from poorer families, according to media reports Monday.

    The finding, published in the British International Journal of Obesity, is against the previous perceptions that children from lower-income households are more likely to be overweight.

    The study is conducted by researchers from the Institute of Child Health at University College London and Great Ormond Street Hospital, involving 13,113 children born in the UK between 2000 and 2002.

    It reveals that in higher-income households the longer the mother works each week, the greater the chances of her child being overweight.

    "Children's likelihood of being overweight increased with the number of hours their mother worked per week. However, this relationship was only significant for children from families with the highest household income levels," the study said. 

    Children with child care are 24 percent more likely to be overweight or obese than children cared for by their parents.

    Researchers suggest the reason may be that highly-paid working mothers are often too busy to prepare health food for their children and to encourage them to do physical exercises.

    "We found that children were more likely to be overweight at age three if their mother held employment since their birth," said the researchers.

    "This is a wake-up call for middle class families and it will hopefully get them to engage with the problem," they added.

    (Agencies)