Preschoolers may be more likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI) - an indicator of being overweight or obese - when their fathers are either permissive or disengaged as parents. Researchers from the Royal Children's Hospital, Victoria, Australia determined parenting styles of the fathers and mothers of 4,983 children who were part of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, and consisted of 2537 boys and 2446 girls. Overall, about 15 per cent of the children were overweight and five per cent were obese. The parents reported their parenting behaviour on 3 items (warmth, control and irritability) and were each categorised by the researchers as having 1 of 4 parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and disengaged). Those with low warmth and high control were authoritarian, while the parents with high levels of warmth but low control were considered permissive, and those with low levels of both warmth and control were disengaged. These three styles were compared against the authoritative group - those showing high levels of warmth and control. The study revealed that the risk of having a higher BMI increased by 59 per cent if the children's father was classified as permissive, as opposed to an authoritative parent. It was also found that greater paternal control was strongly associated with a decreased likelihood of the child having a higher BMI. This association was evident when adjusting for the different parenting styles and controlling for variables, including the child's gender, language, number of siblings, whether they lived with one or both parents and their parents education level and weight. Also, while disengaged fathers increased this risk by 35 per cent, no similar association was found between the mothers' parenting style and their preschooler's weight. The findings suggest that children fare best with parents who are warm, firm and authoritative at the same time.
Pediatrics,
December 2007