Mothers' company helps children reduce obesity risk
www.chinaview.cn 2006-08-11 12:33:42
WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The fight against obesity in children just got a new weapon, a multi-year study by researchers from U.S. Texas A&M University found that the amounts and quality of time parents spent with their children have a direct effect on children's rates of obesity.
According to a study statement released Tuesday on the university's website, the more time a mother spends with her children, the less likely that her children are to be obese; conversely, the more time a father spends with a child, the more likely the child will be obese.
"The impacts were greater for 9- to 11-year-old children than for 13- to 15-year-old children," said Dr. Alex McIntosh, lead researcher.
Research results also showed a change in parental influence as the children get older. Parents' impact wanes as the age of the child increases.
To some extent, McIntosh said, as a researcher, he is "uneasy about what people are going to take away form this," because some might interpret the results to mean fathers should not be directlyinvolved with their children's upbringing.
That's not true, he said. Good fathers need to be hands-on parents who set a good example for their children through their own healthful eating habits.
The epidemic of obesity is spreading across the United States and across the world, said Dr. Karen Kubena, one of the researchers.
"Of concern is the fact that the prevalence is increasing at younger and younger ages. ... Factors related to development and perpetuation of obesity need to be identified so that prevention can be achieved," she said. Enditem
Childhood Obesity Article