This is interesting. A friend of mine sent me an update in the mail over the weekend and it detailed a recent study that was to be presented to the Pediatric Academic Societies in Toronto. According to the study that included 5,000 children, in the 4 to 5 year old age range and their parents found that Dad’s parenting style presented a major influence on their children’s weight.
The Daddy Game
It seems that researchers discovered that permissive fathers (those who offered no limits to their children) or disengaged fathers who were not involved with their children were more likely to have obese or overweight children. Fathers who parented with consistency, detailing clear limits and specific instructions were less likely to have children with a high BMI.
What’s More Interesting
The research uncovered another interesting fact. Often it’s the mother who’s blamed for a child’s behavior and weight. After all, mom is usually responsible for preparing the meals and more. When a child is obese, it’s mom who is blamed. But the study found there was no correlation between Mom’s parenting style and their child’s weight. The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute conducted the study with the Centre for Community Child Health at the Royal Child’s Hospital.
This study of a large cross section of Australian preschoolers has, for the first time, suggested that fathers could be at the frontline in preventing early childhood obesity. Mothers are often blamed for their children’s obesity, but this study suggests that for more effective prevention, perhaps we should focus on the whole family. Given the importance of the family unit in a child’s preschool years, and its influence on their nutrition and physical activity levels, it is timely to look at the parenting roles of both parents and the impact they have on a child’s tendency to be overweight or obese – Melissa Wake, an associate professor at CCCH.
So Dad’s, How About It?
This is the first time that I’ve read a study that featured data about Dad’s involvement and parenting styles. I’m sure there are more of them out there, but I find it interesting that the more structured the Dad’s parenting style is and the more consistent, the better it is for a child. One could assume this, but this type of data makes it more specific. I don’t think it lets Moms off the hook, we need to be consistent too, but it’s a good argument to get Dads on the same page.
What parenting style does the dad in your family use?
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