A new Florida State University (FSU) study has found that parents seem to be somewhat fixated on the body weight of their kids. And it seems boys cop most of the attention. Parents of 3 year olds worried that their sons were underweight although their daughters with the same body mass index were thought to be eating enough. The researchers believe that parents may be buying into gender stereotypes about appetite and body size, even with children as young as 3 years old.
"Parents are buying into the media ideal of thinness for girls and perceiving that their daughters may not be thin enough, even at this young age," FSU psychologist Thomas Joiner said. "They also have stereotypes about male culture that boys should be big and strong and physical." Joiner is concerned about parents' increasing pursuit of perfect lives for their children. "The problem is that parents' views on how their children should eat may affect their eating habits at very young ages," he noted. "While parents' intentions are good, their worries about their children's eating habits and body size are misplaced and not at all helpful."
Interestingly, it seems that parents may be reluctant to admit their child has a weight problem. No mother or father in the study reported that their child was fat, despite the fact that approximately 20 percent of the girls and 18 percent of boys in this sample would be classified as overweight. This, the researchers believe, calls into question parents' ability to accurately assess their child's body shape and size.
In another study of toddler's eating habits in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, the researchers examined problematic eating behaviors such as pickiness, food refusal and struggle for control - as well as parental behavior during mealtime. The researchers found that while picky eating or refusal to eat specific foods is common behavior that most toddlers will outgrow, a struggle for control about food was linked to future problems. "It's a food-related signal of later conduct problems," Joiner explained. "This struggle for control doesn't seem to go away with age. It's a rebellious personality trait that seems to predict trouble down the road." Gender-wise, the researchers found mothers have more of a struggle with girls than boys.
"By studying children at this age, we might be able to get a handle on early characteristics that could be risk factors for bulimia or the more general issues of eating disorders and behavior problems. The earlier you know about risk factors, the more likely you are to prevent problems," Joiner concluded.
Source: Florida State University
