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Parenting styles and overweight status in first grade

Kyung E Rhee1, Julie C Lumeng, Danielle P Appugliese

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. kay.rhee@bmc.org

Pediatrics
|June 3, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Authoritarian parenting is linked to the highest risk of childhood overweight. Permissive and neglectful styles also increase overweight risk in young children, highlighting the need for targeted interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Childhood obesity research
  • Developmental psychology
  • Public health

Background:

  • Parenting styles significantly influence child development and health outcomes.
  • Childhood overweight is a growing public health concern with long-term implications.
  • Understanding the interplay between parenting and weight status is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between four distinct parenting styles and overweight status in first-grade children.
  • To identify which parenting styles pose the greatest risk for childhood overweight.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development.
  • Inclusion of children with parenting data at 54 months and measured weight/height in first grade.
  • Multivariate logistic regression controlling for demographic and behavioral factors to assess overweight risk (BMI ≥95th percentile).

Main Results:

  • Out of 872 children, 11.1% were overweight.
  • Children with authoritarian mothers showed increased overweight risk compared to authoritative parenting.
  • Children of permissive and neglectful mothers were twice as likely to be overweight compared to those with authoritative mothers.

Conclusions:

  • Authoritarian parenting style demonstrated the highest association with overweight risk in young children.
  • Permissive and neglectful parenting styles also significantly increase the likelihood of childhood overweight.
  • Further research into the mechanisms linking parenting styles to overweight is needed for effective interventions.
Abstract

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