"School readiness isnt the only benefit young children can gain from Head Start. A new study finds that kids in the U.S. preschool program tend to have a healthier weight by kindergarten than similarly aged kids not in the program.  In their first year in Head Start obese and overweight kids lost weight faster than two comparison groups of children who werent in the program researchers found. Similarly underweight kids bulked up faster. Participating in Head Start may be an effective and broadreaching strategy for preventing and treating obesity in United States preschoolers said lead researcher Dr. Julie Lumeng an associate professor at the University of Michigan Center for Human Growth and Development. Federally funded Head Start which is free for  to yearolds living in poverty helps children prepare for kindergarten. The program is designed to build stable family relationships improve childrens physical and emotional wellbeing and develop strong learning skills. Health benefits including weight loss seem to be a byproduct of the program said Dr. David Katz director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center. This paper importantly suggests that some of the best strategies for controlling weight and promoting health may have little directly to do with either said Katz who wasnt involved in the study. Head Start might provide a structured supervised routine thats lacking in the home Katz suggested. Perhaps the program fosters better mental health in the children which in turn leads to better eating he said.  Whatever the exact mechanisms by fostering wellbeing in one way we tend to foster it in others even unintended Katz said. The essence of this study is the holistic nature of social psychological and physical health. Almost onequarter of preschoolaged children in the United States are overweight or obese and obesity rates within Head Start populations are higher than national estimates the study authors noted. Because obesity in childhood tends to continue into adulthood experts worry that these children are at risk of future health problems. For the study Lumengs team collected data on more than  Michigan preschoolage children between  and . More than  were in Head Start. Information on the others   of whom were on Medicaid the publicly financed insurance program for the poor  came from two primary health care groups. Whether those children were in another preschool program wasnt stated. At the studys start about onethird of the Head Start kids were obese or overweight compared to  percent of those on Medicaid and less than  percent of kids not on Medicaid. Even though children in the Head Start group began the observation period more obese equally overweight and moreunderweight than children in the comparison groups at the end of the observation period the initially obese and overweight Head Start children were substantially less obese andoverweight than the children in the comparison groups the authors wrote. Lumeng said an emphasis on good nutrition and exercise may partly explain the perceived Head Start advantage. Head Start programs must adhere to specific dietary guidelines she said. The children may be served healthier meals at Head Start than other children.  In addition Head Start requires a certain amount of active play each day Lumeng said. Thus children attending Head Start may be getting more opportunities for physical activity than other children she explained. The daily routine might translate into less TV time and more regular sleep schedules she said. We know that better sleep is linked with less obesity she added. It also may be that when kids go to Head Start it reduces stress in the household and frees up time and resources at home to dedicate to healthier eating patterns she noted. The report was published Jan.  online in the journal Pediatrics. More information For more on childhood obesity visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http SOURCES Julie Lumeng M.D. associate professor University of Michigan Center for Human Growth and Development Ann Arbor Mich. David Katz M.D. M.P.H. director Yale University Prevention Research Center New Haven Conn. February  Pediatrics"