Overweight: iron parents, fat child

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MunichHow fat a child is also depends on the upbringing. A parenting style in which the children are brought up with an iron fist is obviously rather bad for the child's figure.

Lisa Kakinami and her colleagues from the University of Montreal came to this conclusion in a study with more than 37,000 children between the ages of zero and eleven. A so-called authoritative style of upbringing was therefore beneficial for a healthy weight. Parents who raise their children in this way treat their children lovingly, but at the same time give them clear rules. In contrast to parents with an authoritarian upbringing style, they let their children feel more emotional warmth and are more willing to talk to them - that is, they also explain why some things go one way and not another.

A third less obese

Compared to children raised in an authoritarian manner, children raised in an authoritative manner between the ages of two and five had a 30 percent lower risk of being obese. Between the ages of six and eleven, their risk was even 37 percent lower.

"Parents should be aware of their upbringing style," explains study director Kakinami. "Children who are brought up in a good balance of loving care and clear rules have the lowest risk of becoming overweight."

The researchers also found that children who grew up in poor families were more likely to be overweight - but the parenting style also had a potentially protective effect on them.

Fat children in Germany

In this country too, many children are overweight. Around 15 percent of all children and adolescents between the ages of three and 17 carry too many pounds with them. More than six percent are obese (obese). In total, there are around two million overweight children and 800,000 morbidly fat children. Being overweight in youth is not just a question of aesthetics - obese children often develop cardiovascular diseases and diabetes from a young age. (cf)

Source: American Heart Association's Epidemiology & Prevention / Nutrition, Physical Activity & Metabolism Scientific Sessions 2014 press release

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