A new study from the Mount Sinai Health System has found that low economic status can negatively impact a child’s health, but that those outcomes can be changed. 

The study examined almost 4,000 children between the ages of 3 and 5 from across the world, including some kids from New York City. It found that regardless of a kid’s background, early intervention programs can undo negative health impacts.  

“Teaching health [to] children is a way to move toward the future because they capture what you tell them,” said Dr. Valentin Fuster, president of Mount Sinai Heart. “If we present them health as a priority, this comes out when they are adults, and it is scientifically proven." 

Children in the study underwent four months of a specialized learning program put together by doctors and educators that taught them about healthy foods, physical activity, and managing emotions.  

Parents were also given tasks for their kids like buying fruit and encouraging exercise for their kids, and the study showed that kids who received these lessons had a better health outcome than those who didn’t.  

The researchers say they hope to expand this to 50,000 kids across the globe and conduct more tests in New York, focusing on the impact teachers and families have on kids’ health.