Controlling With Diet

Are parents of adolescents too controlling when it comes to how much their children eat?

Does what mom and dad say about food have an affect on an adolescent’s weight? There is increasing evidence about the detrimental effects of controlling food practices, so it’s important for parents to be educated about the best ways to encourage healthy eating in moderation.

Researchers wanted to know if what mom and dad say about food has an affect on an adolescent’s weight. They included more than 22 hundred children all around 14 years old and their parents.

The kids had their height and weight recorded at school. along with their waist and hip circumference. They also filled out surveys.

The parents were then given detailed questionnaires about their food-related practices at home.

The findings suggest that parents are often controlling when it comes to food and adolescents. Food restriction was significantly higher in parents with overweight or obese children while pressure to eat was significantly higher in parents with normal weight kids.

Fathers were more likely to use pressure to eat tactics and boys were most often on the receiving end. Both moms and dads engaged in food restriction and it didn’t matter whether they had a son or daughter.

The researchers say there is increasing evidence about the detrimental effects of controlling food practices, so it’s important for parents to be educated about the best ways to encourage healthy eating in moderation.