Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the Western world, and it is often the case that obese parents raise obese children. It is therefore important that parents learn to take responsibility for raising their children to be fit and healthy, even if certain genetic determinants make some individuals more susceptible to obesity than others. Parents may not have any control over the genes they pass on to their children, but they do have the power to control a large number of environmental factors which fuel obesity. Parents are in a position to influence the way their children think about food and exercise, which can stand them in good stead as they grow older. Hopefully, once their children have been instilled with good habits, their weight should be less of an issue when they become adults.

In a significant amount of cases, though, it can be difficult for obese parents to develop good eating and exercise practices in their children because they have forgotten, or have never known, what a healthy diet and exercise routine involves. If they are ignorant about what constitutes a healthy diet they are unlikely to be in a position to get their children to think about food in a different way to themselves. However, there is nothing to say that parents cannot educate themselves about what makes a balanced diet and try to incorporate more exercise into their lives.

If parents are willing to make changes to their own lifestyle, there is an opportunity for them to lose weight and get fitter whilst also promoting a positive approach to eating and exercise in their children. The whole family can benefit from eating better and exercising more, without focusing solely on children. Children will clearly respond more effectively to being told what to do if it is not simply a case of 'do as I say, not as I do'. If parents are berating their children for eating junk food, whilst munching on a McDonald's meal, it is hardly likely to go down very well, is it?

It is also important for parents to consider the temperament of their children and to be sensitive to their needs. Overweight individuals, whatever their age, can find eating comforting, and the temptation is for parents to encourage this, giving their children food when they are sad or when they are throwing a tantrum in order to calm them down. Some parents reward their children's good behaviour with food, and so the association is made between eating and feeling good. This is not the kind of attitude which parents should be promoting in their children, particularly if they have a predisposition towards obesity.

Parents are the most influential factor in shaping the likelihood that their children will become obese due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Parents therefore need to take charge of their own, as well as their children's, habits so that they can reduce the chances that their children will develop a weight problem. Trying to prevent obesity in children is obviously preferable to waiting until it is already a problem.

Learn more about this author, Michelle Wilkinson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about The influence parents have on their children's obesity?
We want to hear your view. Write now!