‘Father and Son’ skit from KBS Gag Concert. The skit is about funny situations that happen between obese father and son. (Image : Gag Concert Capture)
SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Korea Bizwire) – Research shows that children of obese parents have a higher possibility of becoming obese themselves. Parental lifestyle seems to influence children, leading them to obesity.
Professor Kim Dae-joong of the Ajou University Hospital (Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism) reported that the risk of child obesity jumps 2.8 times when both parents are obese, compared to parents of average weight.
Through an analysis of 3,281 children between the ages of 6 to 11 and their parents, based on data from the National Nutrition Survey of 2009 to 2013, results showed that parental diet had a high relevancy to child obesity.
Of note, children who did not habitually eat dinner with their family had a higher chance of obesity compared to those who did. Furthermore, the calorie intake of children who ate out more than 5.5 times a week turned out to be 204㎉ higher.
When a child doesn’t have dinner with their parents, they usually tend to have fast food or other food that is high in calories and low in nutrients. (Image : www.strangecosmos.com / Google)
“When a child doesn’t have dinner with their parents, they usually tend to have fast food or other food that is high in calories and low in nutrients. Moreover, supper influences obesity greatly, since there are few post-supper activities that offer the possibility of burning calories,” said Professor Kim, explaining the results.
Professor Kim also revealed the results of an online survey the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity (KSSO) conducted on 1,000 parents who have a child in elementary school.
More than half of the parents did not know what a typical healthy weight would be for someone the same age as their child. At 67.8 percent, a strong majority of parents with obese or overweight children answered that they do not weigh their children periodically. Only 36.7 percent of parents answered that they control their children’s diet to prevent obesity.
Research shows that children of obese parents have a higher possibility of becoming obese themselves. Parental lifestyle seems to influence children, leading them to obesity. (Image : Kobizmedia / Korea Bizwire)
In response to the results, the KSSO started a campaign to prevent child obesity, under the slogan ‘High-five 2015, Children Will Change When Parents Change’.
“Prevention of child obesity cannot be achieved by controlling what to eat or what not to eat, and by making a child exercise. It should be solved by changing daily life habits,” said officials at the KSSO, commenting on the best way to prevent child obesity.
By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
