THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND WEIGHT LOSS

A HIGH birth weight may put infants at increased risk of becoming obese as children, says a study.

By identifying at-risk infants early, doctors could work with parents to prevent weight gain and the health problems it eventually brings.

“We are hopeful that this data may help physicians and families make healthy lifestyle decisions for their young children to avoid later weight problems,” said researcher Mark DeBoer, of the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital in the US.

The study, published in the journal Paediatric Obesity, looked at 10 186 children across the US, both those born at term and those born prematurely.

The children born with high birth weight at term were more likely to be obese by kindergarten than their average-weight counterparts. A similar finding held true in the children born prematurely, starting in first grade.

Children born with a large birth weight (more than 4.5kg at term) were 69% more likely than average weight children to be obese by kindergarten and continuing at least until second grade, the researchers determined.

By second grade, the last grade examined, 23.1% of children born with high birth weight were obese.

In comparison, children born at the expected weight had an obesity rate of only 14.2% by second grade.

Of the premature infants born with high weight for gestational age, 27.8% were obese by second grade.

Those born at the expected weight had an obesity rate of only 14.2 %.

Those born below the expected weight had an obesity rate of 28%.

– IANS A WOMAN’S desire to diet and seek a slim body may depend on the attractiveness of a romantic partner, a study has found, highlighting the fairer sexes risk of developing eating disorders.

The study showed that women, who were evaluated as less attractive were more motivated to diet and be thin if their husbands or partners were more attractive than them.

Conversely, this extra motivation to diet did not exist among the women who were more attractive than their husbands.

As for men, their motivation to diet was low regardless of their wives’ attractiveness or their own, the researchers said.

“The results reveal that having a physically attractive husband may have negative consequences for wives, especially if those wives are not particularly attractive,” said Tania Reynolds, doctoral student at the Florida State University.

The study, published in the journal Body Image, offers productive insights about relationships in which a woman fears she will fall short of her partner’s expectations.

Understanding the predictors that increase a woman’s risk of developing eating disorders and other health problems could lead to earlier assistance.

“It might be helpful to identify women at risk of developing more extreme weightloss behaviours, which have been linked to other forms of psychological distress such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse and dissatisfaction with life,” Reynolds said.

“If we understand how women’s relationships affect their decision to diet and the social predictors for developing unhealthy eating behaviours, then we will be better able to help them,” she said.

For the study, the team examined 113 newly married couples, who were married less than four months, average age late 20s, living in Dallas, Texas, who agreed to be rated on their attractiveness. – IANS