Early Positive Interactions Linked to Lower Obesity Risk in Children

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Early Positive Interactions Linked to Lower Obesity Risk in Children

Early positive interactions between parents and children may reduce the children’s risk for obesity later on, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics.

In recent years, many researchers have been exploring factors that contribute to childhood obesity, which now affects nearly one in five children in the United States. Childhood obesity is linked to immediate health risks — including high blood pressure, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, breathing problems, joint problems, and fatty liver disease — was well as greater future risks for cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. While both genetic and social factors have been linked to both adult and childhood obesity, past studies have suggested that early developmental factors may also play a role in childhood obesity — such as exposure to high blood glucose levels during pregnancy.

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For the latest study, researchers were interested in examining early childhood factors that are linked to a lower risk for childhood obesity and severe obesity. Specifically, they wondered whether positive parental factors and interactions — which they called “familial psychosocial assets” — during infancy or early childhood could help predict whether a child will experience changes in body-mass index (BMI, a measure of body weight that takes height into account) between the ages of 2 and 15. They defined infancy as 1–15 months old, and early childhood as 24–54 months old.

The study’s participants were 1,077 pairs of mothers and children, most of whom were white and English-speaking, who took part in a study called the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Based on factors like poverty, “responsive parenting,” the enrichment of a child’s home environment, and children’s behavioral self-regulation — which researchers gathered through surveys, observation, and other methods — each mother-child pair was given scores for both familial assets and familial risks during infancy and early childhood.

Supportive parenting linked to reduce risk for obesity in children

The researchers found that familial assets — like supportive parenting — during both infancy and early childhood helped reduce the risk for BMI increases during later childhood. When it came to severe obesity, both familial assets and a child’s own behavioral self-regulation helped reduce the risk of falling in this category. But perhaps most importantly, the researchers found that familial assets during infancy helped offset risks — like poverty — during infancy or early childhood when it came to BMI increases. In other words, providing a supportive and structured home environment can help compensate for other factors that typically put children at higher risk for overweight and obesity.

It’s not clear exactly why early supportive parenting and an enriching home environment appear to reduce the risk for obesity down the road. But these factors could have a lasting effect on brain development in ways that affect the risk for overweight or obesity — such as influencing impulse control or levels of psychological stress. While further studies of more diverse populations could help shed more light on this relationship, right now it looks like giving parents tools to be as engaged and supportive as possible — as early as possible — could be an effective way to reduce the long-term burden of obesity and its associated health problems.

Want to learn more about parenting a child with diabetes? Read “The Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis,” “Type 1 Diabetes and Sleepovers or Field Trips,” “Writing a Section 504 Plan for Diabetes” and “Top 10 Tips for Better Blood Glucose Control.”

Quinn Phillips

Quinn Phillips

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A freelance health writer and editor based in Wisconsin, Phillips has a degree from Harvard University. He is a former Editorial Assistant for Diabetes Self-Management and has years of experience covering diabetes and related health conditions. Phillips writes on a variety of topics, but is especially interested in the intersection of health and public policy.

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