Researchers studied more than 12,500 five-year-olds and found children of working mothers were more likely to be driven to school, have sugary drinks between meals, and spend more than two hours in front of the television every day.
Children whose mothers worked full-time were less likely to snack on fruit or vegetables or eat three or more portions of fruit a day.
The authors of the research paper, set to be published in The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, said working parents had less time to give their children healthy food and exercise opportunities.
They said: "Our results do not imply that mothers should not work. Rather, they highlight the need for policies and programmes to help support parents to create a healthy environment for their children."
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