Obesity in 1st graders linked to parenting skills

Link

According to a new study having a strict parent may result in children becoming overweight by the time they reach first grade, while parents who show concern but are flexible produce offspring who retain a more normal weight level. Doctors at the Boston University School of Medicine say they have found that strict mothers are five times more likely to produce overweight children than their lesser strict counterparts. They also say that parents who set no rules for their children in homes where 'anything goes' produce children who are twice as likely to be overweight

Could distractions be the cause of this?


Mod edit: to fix external quote tag

[edit on 2006/6/7 by Hellmutt]

How about rather than using easily manipulated statistics about being strict and leniet ,both of which are totally up to interpretation by the observer and vary from person to person, we examine the link between parents who teach healthy eating habits and childhood obesity? Doesn't that seem to make a little more sense?

MFP

yep people react over the top to statistics sometimes, where there need to look more closer

Well, that is what they're doing, actually. One of the points made by the research is that one of the hallmarks of disciplinarian parents is regimented eating, and when you force the child to eat according to external cues rather than hunger, you reinforce an unhealthy habit.

So, it is about teaching eating habits, and also a lot of other factors.

Stress, for example, is shown to be a key factor that precipitates over-eating. If you can sit there and tell me with a straight face that disciplinarian parents don't cause stress, I'd be surprised. I had a drill sgt. for a father, literally - and I ate to reduce stress. I also engaged in a number of other risky behaviors, presumably for a bunch of complex reasons (or maybe some really simple ones, I don't know, I'm no psychologist).

They put me on one strict diet after another, making me a virtual prisoner in my home, and it only increased my rebellious behavior, to the point where I was hoarding food and sneaking food. If that behavior had continued into adulthood, I would be a very unhealthy individual, to say the least. When the parents themselves are complete hypocrites, smokers and drinkers and what-not, it gives children mixed signals.

Lucky for me, I replaced eating with smoking, and now I'm much, much healthier.

I'm joking of course, well, ish. I am healthier than if I had become a compulsive eater.

Children need to learn proper behaviors, but they can't do it if they're running scared from a terrifying and ignorant giant, or left to their own devices and ignored by someone who can't be bothered to be a parent. No matter the best intentions of the parents, if they make mistakes their kids will suffer. Information is critical.

You are right, if your contention is that this study should not be taken as scripture. But if you're encouraging people to disregard this information, I think that's irresponsible.

Children are stressed beyond the breaking point. They don't shoot up schools and kill themselves and do drugs because of bad eating habits. The larger problem needs to be looked at - and the larger problem is stress.

The world requires that kids grow up quick, and when they do, society acts all shocked and betrayed and horrified. It's ridiculous, I think. People have to mitigate the effects of stress any way they can, or it will kill them. You're familiar, I'm sure, with stress disorders, and the serious ramifications they bring with them.

So, I'd rather see a nation of fat kids than a nation of psycho killers. That being said, we don't need to see either if parents take their responsibility seriously, and do everything in their power to protect and provide for their children. More research needs to be done, behavioral studies on individuals, identifying patterns and predictable responses.

Anyway, this is a very interesting subject for me, and I think it deserves a fair shake.



[edit on 6-6-2006 by WyrdeOne]

As a parent i always try to explain everything to my daughter and then let her make the decisions (unless there is concern for harm or other things). Unfortunatly my daughter is is in the lower 5% of her weight vs age group.

I have tried to explain to the Dr(s) that she is Just small and will be. She runs around all day, gets plenty of sleep still and only eats what she needs to. I also explained that my wife is barely 5 feet tall and i weighed 60lbs till i was in 8th grade. I let her make alot more decisions than my wife does, i guess if you were to use my results in a study, heredity would have nothing to do with it and my openess with my daughter means she is under weight.

IMHO i think fast food is a major culprit. I mean with MSG foudn in almost everything now a days and linked to obesity....

I think parents are the cause of most obesity in small kids. A lot of young parents are lazy an example let's goto mickey D's instead opf cooking a healthy meal. Parents are responsible for there kids being fat.

I think parents who have a grade 1 child who is is obese due to neglectful habbhits should have there kids takin away for putting them at unneccisary risk for health problems potentially life threatening ones like diabetes among other things. Because feeding your children fast food and other fatty unhealthy foods everyday because they have temper tantrums is nothing short of child abuse and in my opinion just as bad as hitting you child unneccisarily.

Parents who put there kids at any potential risk should not be allowed to be parents bottom line. Make your kids eat their veggies and other food groups and it is the duty of parents to make ensure both you childs safety and health. The first person who thinks a grade 1 student at 5 or 6 years old can make healthy eating habbits on their own is naive.

Parents who put there kids at any potential risk should not be allowed to be parents bottom line.

I think that's nonsense. I never want the state to have so much power.

Simply put, I would rather have parents screwing up their kids than pay the state a premium to do the exact same thing.



[edit on 7-6-2006 by WyrdeOne]

Parents who put there kids at any potential risk should not be allowed to be parents bottom line.

Sometimes parents have no choice due to financial issues.

I personally think there are alot of links regarding obese children, such as, fast food - maybe some parents work long hours and aren't home to cook healthy meals, etc. Depression is a big one too, in my opinion. Back when I was about 11, I got pretty damn big due to depression when my parents we're getting divorced. My way of dealing with that depression was eating more.

I think something big needs to be done about all the crappy foods out there. All of these microwavable meals, etc, are causing alot of serious health problems.

You bring up an excellent point.

For the first time in history, the poor are fat and the wealthy are skinny.

Because the cheap food is unbelievably unhealthy. Parents aren't feeding their kids mac & cheese and so on because they want to, not necessarily anyway. Go to a supermarket, and check out the prices of lean meat, fresh fruits and veggies, and whole grain bread products.

$$$$$

You can get several cases of Ramen noodles for the price of one healthy meal. The choice for poor parents is clear.

Originally posted by The_Doctor
I think parents are the cause of most obesity in small kids. A lot of young parents are lazy an example let's goto mickey D's instead opf cooking a healthy meal. Parents are responsible for there kids being fat.

I think parents who have a grade 1 child who is is obese due to neglectful habbhits should have there kids takin away for putting them at unneccisary risk for health problems potentially life threatening ones like diabetes among other things. Because feeding your children fast food and other fatty unhealthy foods everyday because they have temper tantrums is nothing short of child abuse and in my opinion just as bad as hitting you child unneccisarily.

Parents who put there kids at any potential risk should not be allowed to be parents bottom line. Make your kids eat their veggies and other food groups and it is the duty of parents to make ensure both you childs safety and health. The first person who thinks a grade 1 student at 5 or 6 years old can make healthy eating habbits on their own is naive.

Ripping a child out of a home for unhealthy eating habits is a bit extreme. Do you have any idea of what taking a child away from their parents does to a child? So if a set of very loving and otherwise great parents simply have poor eating habits passes that to their child because they themselves have been taught the same thing by their parents...they deserve to have their kids taken away? I'm sorry I just don't agree with that. The first priority of the child protection agency is to offer counseling and other various programs for situations like this, such as counseling, W.I.C (a nutrition education service for women, infants, and children), and E.C.F.E (early childhood family education). Taking a child away from their parents would just cause more problems and issues for the child in the long run.

I can see how a child would develop an addiction to food from having an overly strict parent. Stress and depression are two of the major factors that causes a person to binge.

"Sometimes parents have no choice due to financial issues. "

That is non-void you know it costs almost nothing to plant a garden of healthy veggies. Before people decide to have children they should make sure they are finacially secure.

What's the difference between beating your child and teaching them neglectful eating habbits. There is none they both put the child at risk.

It is simply lazyness people use finacial issues as a crutch. Maybe if most people weren't going into endless debt buying things like humscalades and expensive electronics they could afford to feed their children properly. It is abuse whether you think so or not.

My parents weren't wealthy but they always managed to feed me and my siblings properly. Then again my father drove a used car and never obessed over luxory.

It comes down to people especially north americans like to live like glutonous pigs and their children will pay for it in many ways.

Originally posted by The_Doctor
That is non-void you know it costs almost nothing to plant a garden of healthy veggies. Before people decide to have children they should make sure they are finacially secure.

Yes, but what about those parents who get divorced and end up living in some shoddy house with no garden?

When my parents got divorced, my mum was training to be a teacher, she literally fought to keep me and my sister fed. She is now one of the best teachers in the country and she earns a crappy £28k a year, approximately one third of that goes straight back to the government. Anyway, back on topic, when she was training to teach, I'm not too sure how much she was earning, but I remember we would have food for about the first week of every month then we would have to eat, what I would call, crap. Hell, sometimes money was so tight we had to live off bread and water.

This sounds like I'm ranting about my past but I'm not. I'm trying to get the point across that not everybody has the luxury to eat healthy food. It doesn't help that there is a hell of an increase of the amount of broken homes.


[edit on 7-6-2006 by xeroxed88]

Originally posted by The_Doctor
What's the difference between beating your child and teaching them neglectful eating habbits. There is none they both put the child at risk.

There is a big difference. Child protection doesn't even take children who are getting hit out of the home unless it is an abusive life-threatening manner. Their first objective is re-educating and counseling the parents into finding better ways to control their anger and to discipline their child. A parent who has poor eating habits can be re-educated and recieve counceling which is way better for the child in the long run. Taking a child out of the home when counseling can be put in place is way more damaging to the child in the long run.

Even a family who is financially secure has budget problems from time to time. People lose jobs and have to take lower paying ones from time to time, injuries that can cause changes in employment issues and so-forth. There are many families out there who aren't buying luxery items have a limited amount of money left for groceries and mishaps after paying the rent and heating bills.

Not everyone can plant a garden either. Particularily people who live in apartments with their families.

However, even though I know first hand that healthy food can be quite a bit more expensive than the bad foods that are easily and cheaply produced, there are still cheap healthy foods such as grains and beans out there. I have had to buy unhealthy foods because of budget as well but I do try to find a balance somehow.

It still doesn't adress the problems that a lot of younger parents these days go into debt to live a lifestyle they cannot afford. These day you are nobody unless you have the coolest things. Liek for example home electronics, vehicles that guzzle gas, credit cards etc. These are the people who should have their kids taken away

And as for abuse being life threatening I certainly consider feeding your kids fast food and junk neglect that endangers the lives of children. One that should be reckognized. You ever see those kids on TV that weigh 200 pounds at like 7 years old this is the result of neglect.

Obesity is potentially life threatening and the cause of many health disorders and potentially dangerous things like stroke, heart attack, diabetes, liver and kidney disease.....

Parents who overfeed their kids crap is the issue not parents who cannot afford it. If you can buy your kids ice cream and junk everyday to make them like that you can afford to put them on a diet. This is happening more and more i find and if taking someones kids away is what it takes then so be it.

The linked article concerns the parents emotional ‘inputs’ which possibly may lead to eating disorders. Common sense should come into play with the statistical representation here.

Poverty as cause of obesity seems a bit off.

A close relative of mine is an elementary public school teacher in the US and a very similar topic came up in conversation. Apparently, if a parent can show need based upon income both breakfast and lunch is provided to the children at no cost to the parent.

These meals are designed by dieticians and fall within certain restrictive nutritional guidelines. The financial ‘bar’ to gain these benefits is low; meaning to her recollection over 70% or more of her school is/was enrolled in the program, the school itself is not zoned in a disadvantaged area whatsoever and as an aside... single parents are almost assured of attaining the benefit.

Additionally, once enrolled in the program, the schools provide links/lists to area food banks, churches and many various organizations that will provide groceries, grocery gift cards, help with food stamp applications, emergency food 'loans' and cooked meals, again at no cost. The case is also true for school supplies, uniforms, after school care (where another meal will be provided), after school transportation, field trip fees, field trip meals and inoculations.


mg

Originally posted by The_Doctor


And as for abuse being life threatening I certainly consider feeding your kids fast food and junk neglect that endangers the lives of children. One that should be reckognized. You ever see those kids on TV that weigh 200 pounds at like 7 years old this is the result of neglect.

Obesity is potentially life threatening and the cause of many health disorders and potentially dangerous things like stroke, heart attack, diabetes, liver and kidney disease.....

But it is a problem that can be fixed through counseling and re-education. I think it would be silly to rip a child out of a home when the family can be helped and counseled to make better choices.

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
You bring up an excellent point.

For the first time in history, the poor are fat and the wealthy are skinny.

Because the cheap food is unbelievably unhealthy. Parents aren't feeding their kids mac & cheese and so on because they want to, not necessarily anyway. Go to a supermarket, and check out the prices of lean meat, fresh fruits and veggies, and whole grain bread products.

$$$$$

You can get several cases of Ramen noodles for the price of one healthy meal. The choice for poor parents is clear.

It's interesting you bring up choice. Even at restaurants that has been effectively removed from parents without means... Has anyone looked at what they offer on the children's menu???? Anyone with children knows EXACTLY what I'm referring to... If you want your young ones to eat healthily, then your only option is to pay for the adult plates.

[edit on 7-6-2006 by loam]

"It's interesting you bring up choice. Even at restaurants that has been effectively removed from parents without means... Has anyone looked at what they offer on the children's menu???? Anyone with children knows EXACTLY what I'm referring to... If you want your young ones to eat healthily, then your only option is to pay for the adult plates."

You could also not frequent resturants as often maybe once or twice a month then it really ain't that bad.

If you want to take the younglings health seriously cut out the frequent visits.

As for what was said about re-education etc. I know a lot of people who would say things like "what business of it is yours to tell me what my child can and cannot eat" or "don't tell me how to raise my child".

Some parents are just plain lazy and don't give a crap and this trend is on the rise.

Originally posted by The_Doctor
As for what was said about re-education etc. I know a lot of people who would say things like "what business of it is yours to tell me what my child can and cannot eat" or "don't tell me how to raise my child".

Some parents are just plain lazy and don't give a crap and this trend is on the rise.

Of course some parents are going to have that attitude. However I believe that a lot of parents won't. Having weight issues and eating disorders isn't exactly fun you know. A lot of times the attitude you see from the outside as being lazy is someone who either doesn't know what to do or is dealing with depression or another psychological issue that is keeping them from helping themselves. Overeating disorder is a disease that needs treatment just like anything else.

Just watch Maury, he has lil 7 year old girls who weigh over 130 pounds.