‘He's got his father's bias’: Parental influence on weight bias in young children

Spiel, Emma C.; Rodgers, Rachel F.; Paxton, Susan J.; Wertheim, Eleanor H.; Damiano, Stephanie R.; Gregg, Karen J.; McLean, Siân A.

doi:10.1111/bjdp.12123

Cited by 64 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 66 publications

(67 reference statements)

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“…As described above, even among children aged 3–5 years gender differences have been reported in the stereotypes associated with overweight (Turnbull et al ., ), consistent with those described among adults (Fikkan & Rothblum, ). However, other studies among children aged 3–5 years have not found gender differences in the development of weight bias (Spiel et al ., ). Therefore, it was expected that in our study, no gender differences would be found in the salient associations and explanations 3‐ to 5‐year‐olds offered for body size changes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

A qualitative, prospective study of children's understanding of weight gain

Rodgers

Wertheim

Damiano

et al. 2019

British J of Dev Psycho

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This study examined 3-to 5-year-old children's understandings of increases in body size via a qualitative prospective approach. A sample of 259 children (55.2% girls) was interviewed at 3, 4, and 5 years old. Participants were shown an average and a larger size figure of a child of their gender and age. Responses to 'Why do you think the boy/girl got bigger here?' were coded using thematic analysis. Diet was cited as a mechanism for increased body size by almost 50% of children referring to this by age 5. Few children mentioned physical activity. Responses suggesting that increases in body size had negative implications increased between ages 3 and 5. Awareness of associations between diet and weight gain emerges as young as 3 years old and increases over time, as do negative attitudes about weight gain. This age may be opportune for interventions targeting sustainable healthy behaviours. Statement of contributionWhat is already known on this subject?Even very young children present weight bias. Their understanding of the social messages regarding weight and shape increases with age. Older children present a partial understanding of how diet and physical activity are related to body size. What does this study add?Very young children's understandings of increases in body size were investigated. Eating and food-related mechanisms, as well as ageing, were salient. By age 5, over a third of children associated increases in body size with negative implications.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

A qualitative, prospective study of children's understanding of weight gain

Rodgers

Wertheim

Damiano

et al. 2019

British J of Dev Psycho

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“…Particular attention has been given to the age at which weight bias first becomes evident. Several studies have shown children of preschool age to match drawings of body shapes with obesity to negative adjectives or to characters in stories doing mean things . Concurrently, thin or average‐weight body shapes are matched to positive descriptors or characters doing good things.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Content analyses of media such as children’s cartoons and popular movies show the expected stereotyping of characters with obesity , something less apparent in children’s books . Parental attitudes toward body size have been examined as to their association with the weight bias of their children . However, research into the influence of peers on young children’s weight bias is almost absent.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Weight Bias Evident in Peer Interactions Between Young and Older Children?

Kilmurray

Collins

Caterson

et al. 2019

Obesity

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Objective This study aimed to investigate whether weight bias is apparent in young and older children’s interactions during a paired reading activity. Methods One hundred seventy‐two children (57% girls) read a book in which the main character, “Alfie,” was portrayed either as average weight or as having obesity. Younger children (mean = 6.1 years) were paired with a same‐sex older child (mean = 9.5 years). Questions within and at the end of the story prompted discussion. Children’s conversations were analyzed according to valence (emotional tone). Nonverbal behavior was noted via observation. Results Pairs of children reading about the Alfie character with obesity made significantly more negative and fewer positive comments when offering story completions. Just one pair of boys spoke about him being “fat.” There was no evidence that older children passed negative attitudes to younger children. Covertly expressed weight bias was more common. There was more frequent laughter while reading about the character with obesity, and two pairs made nonverbal reference to Alfie’s appearance. Conclusions Covert weight bias was apparent in the interactions of some of these children, but overt weight bias was rare. There is a need to establish a better chronology of children’s awareness of, and attitudes toward, obesity and how they are acquired.

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“…Parental relationships among adolescents and teens are shown to vary by gender with young females relying on maternal figures to establish their self-esteem, habits and goals, while males look to some paternal or other male figures to fill these needs [33,34].…”

Section: Nlsy97: Pooled Regression Model By Gendermentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescent BMI growth: The of role biological and non-biological mothers

Jacobs¹

2018

Health Prim Car

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Objectives: Mothers play a pivotal role in adolescent development, but do the impacts of biological and non-biological mothers differ? Using two different model specifications, this study evaluates the correlation between biological/non-biological mothers and body mass index (BMI) growth and tests for changes in these correlations as adolescents age into young adults. Growth trajectory estimation projects growth differences among respondents with/without a biological mother. Methods:Using 15 years of longitudinal data, analysis explores the correlation between maternal status and BMI growth with both simple and generalized models. The sample is then divided into adolescents and young adults and re-estimated to explore differences in the two groups. Finally, projected BMI trajectories test for variation in BMI growth for respondents with/without a biological mother. Results:Results suggest that race/ethnicity and age are highly correlated with BMI. Maternal and respondent are directly, but not proportionally related. The impact of non-biological mothers is much smaller than that biological mothers particularly at older ages. BMI trajectories reveal distinctly different growth for males and females and their maternal relationship. Conclusion:Analysis suggests large racial/ethnic and gender differences in BMI growth. Maternal BMI is highly correlated with adolescents' BMI growth irrespective of the mothers' biological status, but the strength of the relationship varies by age and model specification. The presence of a biological mother in the household shapes the BMI trajectory differently for males and females.

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‘He's got his father's bias’: Parental influence on weight bias in young children

Cited by 64 publications

References 66 publications

A qualitative, prospective study of children's understanding of weight gain

A qualitative, prospective study of children's understanding of weight gain

Is Weight Bias Evident in Peer Interactions Between Young and Older Children?

Adolescent BMI growth: The of role biological and non-biological mothers

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