Study: Kids' weight increases when mom works more

Working mothers could be pressed for time, which could cause them to turn to fast food and restaurants.

Carol M. Devine, professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University, who was not involved in the study, has examined food choices of working, lower-income families.

"Some parents weren't able to eat with their families more than a couple times a week," Devine said. "The job structure had a lot to do with it."

When people don't eat together as a family, the diets are worse and people are heavier, she said.

Morrissey said other factors could be related to kids' sleep patterns and the kind of food and activity they're getting at after-school care. But none of these variables were in the study.

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