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The first study in Canada believed to look at serious weight problems — in toddlers — suggests one in four 18-month-olds is already overweight, obese or at risk of becoming overweight.

Experts say the “alarming” study shows the trend they were already seeing in older age groups is now extending down to the under two’s, resurrecting the question, who’s responsible when a toddler gets so heavy he has trouble moving?

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One Toronto pediatrician says he is already seeing obese three- and five-month-old children.

Until now, there has been a dearth of data on rates of overweight children and obesity for those under three, the research team writes in this week’s issue of CMAJ Open.

“We knew that early childhood is the critical time for obesity prevention strategies,” said lead author Suzanne Biro, a former research associate in the department of family medicine at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. “If we intervene earlier, it’s easier to change the trajectory of weight gain.”