New research from The Kids Research Institute Australia has revealed, for the first time, a link between childhood obesity and higher levels of protective parenting.
The study, which looked at the relationship between maternal protectiveness and the rate of overweight or obese children, has just been published in online journal PLOS ONE.
Using data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, researchers were able to identify that kids whose mums had above average levels of protectiveness were more likely to be overweight or obese at 10-11 years of age than kids whose mums showed average levels of protectiveness.
"We found that kids had up to a 13% higher risk of being overweight or obese if their mum had above-average protectiveness, but the pattern only emerged when kids were about 10 or 11 years old," according to lead author Kirsten Hancock.
"Whilst there's no clear indication why this age group is most affected, we believe it may be related to their level of independence".
"This is an age when kids are usually allowed to start walking or riding to school on their own and play more independently with friends and be more mobile, but those children with overprotective parents may not be getting this opportunity and this could be impacting on their physical health and wellbeing." said Ms Hancock.
"It's perfectly normal for parents to feel protective towards their children, but being overprotective, usually defined as overly controlling, highly supervising or finding it difficult to spend time away from the child, can have implications for how kids view and navigate their environment."
The The Kids study also showed that there were higher levels of maternal protectiveness amongst disadvantaged families including those with lower levels of income, lower levels of maternal education, and those living in more disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
"Again it's not clear why these groups are more affected, though it may be in part to do with the parent's perception of the safety of the surrounding environment and their willingness to let their children become more independent"
"Further research is now recommended to delve more into the detail of what our study has uncovered." said Ms Hancock. "It's also important to look at the protectiveness levels of mums and dads combined, and what sort of effect this has for kids."
The full article in PLOS ONE can be found here
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About LSAC
Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) is a major study following the development of 10,000 children and families from all parts of Australia. The study commenced in 2004 with two cohorts - families with 4-5 year old children and families with 0-1 year old infants. Growing Up in Australia is investigating the contribution of children's social, economic and cultural environments to their adjustment and wellbeing. A major aim is to identify policy opportunities for improving support for children and their families and for early intervention and prevention strategies.