In the new study, Dr. Lisa Kakinami, a postdoctoral researcher at McGill University in Canada, and her colleagues examined data related to 37,577 Canadian children under the age of 11. This information included the emotional investment of parents in their children, how often parents discussed behavioral issues with their children, and the establishment of health behavior guidelines for their children. The researchers also conducted surveys with the parents of the participating children, covering topics such as how parents react when their children misbehave and the extent of praise given when children do well.
Based on the survey results, Dr. Kakinami and her colleagues categorized parent-child relationships into four types and closely observed two of them: one type is authoritative parenting (where parents set strict household rules and explain the reasons to the children, and are understanding if rules are broken). The other type is authoritarian parenting (the "tiger mom and wolf dad" style, where parents set strict rules without discussion or explanation to the children). The other two types are completely opposite (parents do not set strict rules, have no expectations of the children, and rarely encourage self-discipline). Comparative analysis revealed that authoritarian parenting increases the likelihood of obesity in children aged 2 to 5 by 30%, and the likelihood of obesity in children aged 6 to 11 is 37% higher.
Dr. Wang Youfa (phonetic), a professor at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, stated that the study indicates that factors such as parental emotional outbursts, punishment, and educational pressure can adversely affect children's psychological, physiological, and dietary habits, thereby influencing the likelihood of obesity. This should draw the attention of parents.
