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How Is Parenting Style Linked To Child Obesity? Childhood obesity is a major issue for both developed and developing countries. Obese children can have high risk of getting a number of chronic diseases including heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and Type-2 diabetes later in their adult life. Looking at the growing number of fat children, there is no doubt that obesity can cause a nation a great deal of financial burden in dealing with all those diseases. Among many others, unhealthy diet with plenty of saturated fat and lack of physical activities are always being accused as the main culprits that cause the obesity epidemic. Recently, researchers from McGill University and Concordia University identified another link that could lead to childhood obesity - parenting style. Their findings, which were presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism 2014 Scientific Sessions held between March 18 and 21, revealed that authoritarian parents are more likely to have obese kids than those who take the time to explain rules. Linking children’s obesity to parents is not new. Previous studies have already shown that parents who eat more fast food and spend more time on the couch have children who will do the same, and parents who allow their kids spend long hours in front of television or computer also have kids who are heavier and more likely to be obese.
In the study, researchers followed a group of 37,577 children in Canada aged between 0 and 11 years old and asked about their parents’ interaction with their kids. Things, like how they responded when their child did something they should not, and how much they praised their kids when they did something positive, were queried, and the children’s heights and weights were asked too. Based on the response, the researchers classified the parenting styles into 4 groups: authoritative, authoritarian, uninvolved and permissive. Authoritative parents set rules and boundaries but explain their reasoning and show understanding when the rules are broken while authoritarian parents set strict rules but are not discussing and explaining them to their children. Uninvolved parents communicate very little with their children and are virtually absent as authority figures, and permissive parents make few demands and expect little self-control from their kids. For the purpose of study, only authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles were focused. Children of authoritarian parents were found to be 30 percent more likely to be obese at 2 to 5 years old, and 37 percent more likely to be obese if they were 6 to 11 years old compared with children of authoritative parents. The link persisted even after controlling some variables, including poverty. There is plenty of food research showing that the more people are restricted from a certain food, the more desirable it becomes. Likewise, children tend to value more on certain favorite foods like sweets, soda and fast food that are high in calories when their authoritarian parents said no. According to experts, the authoritarian parenting style could actually prompt kids to rebel and to start using food for comfort. Meanwhile, authoritarian parents were less likely than authoritative parents to praise their kids or give them positive feedback for good behavior, regardless of whether it was related to their health. Authoritarian parents most likely respond emotionally and punish the child but do not tell them what they had done wrong. While the study is only a first step toward understanding how overall parenting style can influence children’s weight, it is possible that other factors related to parenting style, for instance education or stress, could be the driving force in linking authoritarian parenting style to children’s obesity. Results of the study suggested that setting boundaries and ensuring that children understand why rules, which can teach them self-control, might also be important in regulating their eating habits. As the concern right now is to prevent obesity from developing in the first place, this kind of data is certainly helpful in directing health professionals towards thinking about important risk factors and how to address them.
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