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Kids Who Hate Mom Twice as Likely to Become Obese

Toddlers with poor relationships with mom may suffer in terms of health

By Kate Schwartz,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 26, 2011 9:09 AM CST

(Newser) – Most parents have gotten an "I hate you!" tossed their way. But if your toddler really seems to mean it, Mom, you may want to figure out how to improve the relationship. A study set to be published next month found that toddlers who were ranked as having the worst emotional relationship with their moms were more than twice as likely to be obese at age 15 than those with a good relationship, reports the Daily Mail.

The Ohio State University study observed 977 toddlers and their mothers, ranking the strength of their bond as the two played together at the ages of 15, 24, and 36 months; the children's BMI was then calculated at age 15. About 26% of the children with the worst mom-kid relationships were obese, compared to about 13% of those with the best relationships. The researchers speculate that the jump could result from the relationship between the areas of the brain that control emotions, stress, and appetite. "It is possible that childhood obesity could be influenced by interventions that try to improve the emotional bonds between mothers and children rather than focusing only on children's food intake and activity," said the study's lead author.

Toddlers with poor relationships with mom may suffer in terms of health.
Toddlers with poor relationships with mom may suffer in terms of health.   (Getty Images)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 9 comments
CFOSU
Dec 26, 2011 4:58 PM CST
As a Buckeye, I have to be "That Guy" and point out that we are "The Ohio State University" and as such, the first sentence in the second paragraph is awkward for me to read... Also @newser-e3bf6fc68d124ab3b471ec1b2284c8e1:disqus  - I get what you are saying, but I hope the study shed some light on the socio/economic angle on childhood obesity. There are some factors of obesity that can be marginalized. As we've seen with homosexuality, though, the big  answers have always been in front of our face. Do we accept it, or are we just going to stand around and look ugly about it?
Mseegz
Dec 26, 2011 3:03 PM CST
Look back about 30 years or more. "Expert" psychologists were saying the same things about homosexuality. It's interesting, how many parallels you can find in a type of bigotry that is justified through the flawed rationalization that it's "a choice," and one that is no longer seen through that lens by the non-bigoted. So much research has been done to determine just how much choice goes into how and why the body puts on weight, and as it turns out, there's not much there. We understand that it's a choice to put fork to mouth, but the "choice" portion ends there. Factoring in the "why" is so much more important than the resulting action, and even then, diet is more often not the result of weight gain, so much as your body's metabolic efficiency, and no two metabolisms are alike. You must also be aware of endocrine disorders that will hamper that efficiency. Other factors, like disordered eating habits, psychological coping methods and the like explain what drives some to overeat. Stress can even lead to disordered eating. All of this research has taught us that getting fat, and the factors in obesity, are not as easy to define as we thought. It's really kind strange to see people formulating the same half-baked slurs and insult-laced arguments that they once flung at gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, who we now know do NOT choose to be that way, and whose own bigots (who insist on the opposite) are regarded as unreliable, shallow-minded and misinformed. I wonder if history will repeat itself here. Anyway, the notion of obesity being tied to parental hatred is ridiculous. Some fat people hate their parents, just as some thin people do. I happen to have a solid relationship with both my mother and father, and I'm pushing 350. I'm glad we had this talk.
finkster
Dec 26, 2011 10:56 AM CST
"Kids Who Hate Mom Twice as Likely to Become Obese" Don't worry Mom....just give them a sweet snack...that will help...:)

 
obesity • health • childhood obesity • mothers • health study

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