Being harsh on kids can make them fat

Are you an authoritative parent? A new study has found that harsh parenting may increase a child’s risk of obesity and poor physical health in adulthood.

According to researchers, attempts by one parent to counterbalance the harsh behaviour are not always effective in lessening that risk.

“Harshness leads to problems with physical health and no matter how hard a spouse tries, they may not be able to erase those effects,” said lead study author Thomas Schofield from Iowa State University in the US.

Researchers videotaped the interactions of 451 families to assess parenting behaviour and look at changes in the child’s health several years later from adolescence to young adulthood.

However, when they measured the effect on body mass index, the health risk of harsh parenting increased as warmth from the other parent increased.

No parent in this sample was observed hitting their adolescent, but Schofield said there were other signs of physical aggression, such as pinching and pushing.

The results indicated that the differences in physical health and BMI were not evident at the beginning of adolescence. The effects persisted into young adulthood after many had moved out of their parents’ homes

This exposure can have a lasting effect on the developing brain during childhood and early adolescence, he added.

“The best thing we can do is encourage parents to not be harsh. If we want to make sure we’re protecting children’s health, the best conclusion is to avoid being harsh,” Schofield advised.