Strict mothers 'causing youngsters to pile on pounds'

Children with strict mothers are much more likely to get fat, according to new US research.

The study found that disciplinarian mothers ended up with six-year-olds who were nearly five times more likely to be overweight than the children of those who treat their children with flexibility and respect, while also setting clear rules.

Scientists said it could be because the youngsters whose mothers were strict were comfort eating due to stress.

The children of neglectful and permissive mothers were twice as likely to get fat as those of the flexible rule-setters.

Researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine surveyed the relationships of four-year-olds in 872 families.

When they measured their body mass indexes later, they found that 17% of the children of strict disciplinarians were overweight.

That compared to 9.9% of the children of neglectful parents, 9.8% of those with permissive parents and just 3.9% of the flexible rule-setters’ little ones.

“The difference between the different parenting groups is pretty striking,” the study’s co-author Dr Kay Rhee said.

Another explanation for the findings could be that parents who show respect and warmth within a framework of rules help their children learn to make good decisions about food and exercise.

“Among the four parenting styles, authoritarian parenting was associated with the highest risk of overweight among young children,” the study in the journal Paediatrics said.

“These results provide evidence that a strict environment lacking in emotional responsiveness is associated with an increased risk of childhood overweight.”