Childhood Obesity In Children

The cases of obesity among children is high and increasing. Many studies show that parents provide both the genes and the environments in which children develop their diets. Both these variables highly influence the development of children's eating behaviors and weight gain, especially during their first years of life when children are learning about food and eating. Parents and caregivers influence these habits during early learning. The main problem causing todays obesity issue within children is the parents negligence on their children's eating patterns and not providing the necessary education on portion control and creating healthy habits.

It’s known that obesity runs in families and that children of obese parents are at greater risk

of developing obesity than children of thin parents. Parenting styles play a huge role mothers with permissive or neglectful parenting styles are more likely to raise children who will be overweight in contrast mothers with an authoritative parenting style are more controlling therefore more restricting with their children's dietary intake. Children are dependent on parents for food. This means parents' choices about feeding determines a child's eating experiences. These choices include when they will be eating, the food and portions sizes they will be given and even how they will be fed. All of these choices have the potential to influence a childs early learning about food and their eating habits. Making parents a substantial influence on children by shaping their eating environment.

Child feeding practices may change in response to which feeding is characterized by kids. Feeding practices involve choices made by parents about what foods children should be offered. Also how often and in what quantity they should be fed society also plays a big role because it influences in what context they should be fed. These practices are often shaped by the parents' own experience with food and eating, and what is traditional in their own cultural group. Parenting practices are in responses to environmental threats to their children's goals and aspirations. Parents across different cultures can agree their common goal is to raise healthy children who growing to be successful. History proves that one of the main threats to this goal has been food scarcity around the world.This has created the need for overabundant feeding practices such as feeding children too frequently or offering over the top portions in todays culture ‘bigger is better and to raise a chubby child is a sign of child health and successful parenting.