Parent’s Health Behaviors Predict Weight Status of the Child

Abstract

Objectives The objective of this study was to determine whether and how a parent's own weight and their lifestyle choices impact the weight of their children. Methods Data were collected for 383 participants, 244 children (48.77% male, mean age 11.87 years) and one or both parents (24.82% male, mean age 41.38 years) via anthropometric measures and a questionnaire. Participants described factors related to their lifestyle and household environment including smoking status, sedentary behavior, and sleep duration. BMI-for-Age percentile (BfaP) was calculated for all children. These data were used to explore how parental and environmental factors relate to a child's weight status via correlation and regression analyses. Results Parents who were overweight or obese were more likely to have children with higher weight status; the relationship between a mother and child's weight status remains similar throughout adolescence (r = 0.26, P < 0.001), but a father's weight status is more reflective of the weight status of older children (r = 0.46, P = 0.015) rather than younger (r = 0.25, P = 0.10). Children were more likely to be overweight or obese if they lived in smoking households (non-smoking mean BfAP 57.29 (SE 2.6) vs. smoking BfAP 67.1 (SE4.9)). Fathers (r = 0.09, P = 0.5) and mothers (r = 0.06, P = 0.4) who spent more time on sedentary activities had children with higher BfAP. Children with parents who ate fast food more often were more likely to carry excess weight (r = 0.15, P = 0.03 for mothers, r = 0.10, P = 0.4 for fathers). Children with fathers who slept fewer than eight hours per day were more likely to be overweight or obese (r = −0.21, P = 0.05); a mother who engaged in very little or in large amounts of sleep was more likely to have offspring who were overweight or obese (P = 0.01). Conclusions Within this cohort, parental weight status predicts a child's weight status. Parents making healthier lifestyle choices for themselves will likely impact their child's weight in a desirable manner, providing guidance for future child obesity prevention and intervention programs. Funding Sources Funding for this research was provided by NIDDK.