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Many a parents are concerned about their children's health due to obesity. They are clueless as to where to start from, in order to strike a perfect balance between feeding healthy to their child, and also making sure that their children are not overweight.

A new study, by researchers from University of Sydney suggest that cutting screen time and not rewarding children's good behaviour with sweets could be among the steps parents could take to reduce overweight and obesity in children before they start school.

The study, led by Dr Louise Hardy, from the School of Public Health reveals that there are many parents who do not even realize that their child's weight might need attention and that their child may be having a weight problem.

The study included more than 1200 children aged up to five found:

"home environment is the most important factor contributing to children's weight gain; almost a third of overweight children had a television in their bedrooms and nearly half ate dinner in front of the TV more than three times a week; more than 60 percent of both healthy and overweight children were rewarded for good behavior with sweets, while more than one-fifth of overweight and obese children did not eat breakfast; 70 percent of parents of overweight kindergarten children thought their child was the 'right weight' and 30 percent of the parents of obese children thought their child was the right weight; overweight boys were more likely to eat dinner in front of the television and watch too much of it, while overweight girls were more likely to have a television in their bedrooms and be rewarded with sweets," Sydney Morning Herald reported.

According to the study researchers, even before children enter school, the foundation for many lifestyle behaviors is already established.

Changing routines in the home for children, such as making it compulsory to eat breakfast and limiting the use of screens, could potentially help children stay healthy, the researchers said.

The study was published in the journal Preventive Medicine.