Childhood obesity prevention programs, often targeted at children ages 8 and older, should begin efforts to curb obesity at infancy or even earlier, according to researchers at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute.

The study, published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, tracked 1,826 women from pregnancy through their children’s first five years and finds that African American and Latino children in particular stand a much greater risk of being overweight.

Even adjusted for socioeconomic status, almost every known risk factor for childhood obesity occurs at higher rates among racial and ethnic minorities, lead author Medical School professor Elsie M. Taveras said.

Taveras, who directrs the One Step Ahead Program at Harvard-affiliate Children’s Hospital Boston, said that the study’s results will play a role in shaping childhood obesity prevention programs, as the research shows that earlier intervention is necessary especially among minority children.

Hispanic and African American mothers were more likely to be overweight when pregnant, and their children more likely to be born small, gain excess weight over time, get less sleep, and begin eating solid food sooner, the researchers found.

“We should be starting earlier especially if we want to prevent disparities in childhood obesity,” she said.

The researchers are currently examining the relationship between pregnancy risk factors, such as poor feeding practices or insufficient sleep, and infant health.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.