Disciplinarian parents have fat kids

First, my favorite thing to say in response to *any* study: correlation does not equal causation.

Second, I think it's always a bit worrisome when studies only look at one or two factors. Did they examine income, state-of-residence, cultural factors, or eating habits of the families? All of those things contribute to weight gain in children.

Reply

I am so troubled by the ease that the media has with writing "fat" in conjuction with kids. Sure it's just a descriptive term, but a hurtful one. Maybe it's sugar coating but would it kill 'em to say "over weight"? I am so sick of all this we are too f^&ing fat media story after story, study after study.

here's one from CNN today.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/diet.fitness/06/02/restaurants.obesity.ap/index.html

People don't have to eat their portions. I like a bigger portion since it allows me to purchase less to feed all of us on fewer entrees, or take it home for later.

Reply

This was true of my house, though I think the mechanism was different.

Strict disciplinarians are more likely to be control freaks, and therefore more likely to use food as something to control when everything else in their life appears to be out of control.

In the case of my family, my father was an incredibly, incredibly strict (I would dare say "totalitarian") disciplinarian. He was also anorexic. My mother, who was a normal eater as a child and was of normal weight until several years into my parents' marriage, became builimic several years after having me.

As a result of such screwy examples of "how we should eat", one of my sisters is a compulsive overeater and I've struggled half with anorexia/compulsive overexercising and binge eating/builimia through my life.

I would have to agree that there is likely some truth to the study but, again, think the mechanism is different from what the researchers suggested.

Reply

Too many variables for this study to be taken seriously, so far as I'm concerned. Of course that's how I feel about most studies.

Reply

These studies are large-end statistical studies. As another commenter notes, correlation does not necessarily equal causation. However, one person's anecdotal experience does not necessarily contradict the study. Back-to-sleep is probably the best example of this. Most of us were probably put to sleep on our backs, since that was the most common way for babies to sleep back when. However, since the advent of back-to-sleep, incidence of SIDS has dropped by 50%. Not every baby who tummy sleeps dies of SIDS, but back sleeping reduces its occurrence. The same thing may very well be true in this case: not every child of authoritarian parents has weight issues, but a higher proportion of children with authoritarian parents may have weight issues than children with authoritative parents (and some children of authoritative parents, presumably, have weight problems). Thus, "My father was a strict disciplinarian but I don't have a weight problem" is not a valid reason to discount the study.

Reply

I knew my mom should have lightened up on me. Now I can tell her my weight problem is ALL HER FAULT! ;)

Reply

LB

I'm wondering what exactly the difference between "FAT" and "overweight" is to you. Cause where I come from, both mean you'll spend 20% more on clothes.

And considering some of the kids I see around here, saying "fat" is sugar coating it. If an 8 year old waddles like a duck, that's a problem. I think part of the problem might be that we empower people to believe that being 100 pounds overweight is a good thing. I'm very overweight right now, and sad to say, my butt is FAT.

I'm fat because I come from a fat family, have poor willpower (I quit smoking, eating is next) and because after my mom died, no one was around to police me. If she had of been alive, I would have snuck food out from under her strict disciplinarian nose. Of course, this is a woman who would tell me I couldn't have a treat, then polish off a box of Creamsicles....so who knows. Fat is Fat is FAT!

Reply

Am I the only one bothered that that baby doesn't look fat? He looks healthy to me. (I may be biased, however, my son's cheeks are just as chubby.)

Reply

Hi Theodora- I dunno.... what is fat v. overweight? I think the media is doing a poor job of distinguishing. Is a 10 yr old who wear a 10Husky fat? What about compared to 10 yr old wearing a 16Husky? Both kids desrve to be treated repectfully and not told bluntly, "you're fat." They way we treat adults and kids should be very very different.

I have known too many women who were told they were "fat" all their lives only to ingraine it as a prophecy.

My mother has weighed over 300lbs. I'm wearing a plus size myself and I have plenty of friends who do to. I'm not trying to empower or blindly sugar coat anyone with avoidance of the word "fat" but rather trying to keep people from wanting to kill thmeselves or otherwise feeling the despair that comes with being called "fat".

Reply