Parents and childhood obesity Parents and Childhood Obesity Parents have a big influence on their children, and one area where they have an impact is on their children's weight.
Doctors are concerned about an epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States.
More children are overweight, and overweight children tend to become overweight adults who are at increased risk for heart disease, diabetes and other health problems. A recent study from Boston found that parents' eating habits have a strong influence on kids' weight. Parents who varied between restrained eating and impulsive eating were more likely to have children who were overweight. Parents with moderate eating habits were less likely to have overweight children. Doctors believe this is because children whose parents have erratic eating patterns learn to eat because of outside influences other than hunger, such as special events.