Running head: MATERNAL EFFECTS ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY

Exploring Maternal Effects on Childhood Obesity

Kyndall Reese Gardner
The University of Memphis

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Outline
I.

Introduction
A. Exploring childhood obesity
1.

Over the last fifty years, childhood obesity has more than doubled.

2.

Having an excess of body fat is generally known as obesity. Having a

particular amount of excess body fat for a certain body height is known as
being overweight.

II.

Worldly factors that could affect childhood obesity

A. Change in the foods of today
B. Change in the hormones that are now put in foods
C. Health issues at birth

III.

Maternal effects on childhood obesity

A. Divorce
B. Neglect

IV.

Article 1 results
A.

V.

Article 2 results

VI.

Conclusion

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Annotated Bibliography
Winsor, D., Murrell, V., & Mabel-Jackson, S. (2015) Lifespan Development: An Educational
Psychology Perspective. Online: Pearson.

Winsor Murrell & Magun-Jackson say childhood obesity is more than three times
more prevalent today than it was thirty years ago. (2014, p 24).

Winsor Murrell & Magun-Jackson say There are several immediate and long-term
health concerns for children who are obese. (2014, p 24).

Winsor et al. (2014) explains that the best way to overall improve obesity is to increase
the amount of exercise and improve ones eating diet.

Wu, T., Dixon, W., Dalton, W., Tudiver, F., & Liu, X. (2011). Joint effects of child temperament
and maternal sensitivity on the development of childhood obesity. Maternal & Child
Health Journal, 15(4), 469-477 9p. doi:10.1007/s10995-010-0601-z

Wu et al. (2014) came to the conclusions that there was no maternal impact on childhood
obesity.

Wu et al. have found evidence that childrens eating and physical habits have a lot in
common with their parents eating and physical habits.

Sachwani, S., Karmaliani, R., Ali Hirani, S. A., Khowaja, A. R., & Lalwani, E. (2015). Whether
maternal factors are associated with childhood obesity: a matched case-control study.
International Journal Of Nursing Education, 7(2), 269-273 5p. doi:10.5958/09749357.2015.00117.8

Sachwani et al. (2015) states that parental warmth and sensitivity have been associated
with parentchild cooperation and increased child ability to regulate negative emotions.

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Sachwani et al. (2015) explains that a little less than three million deaths every year are
due to humans that are overweight or obese.

Sachwani et al. (2015) indicates that in their research they believe that there is a link
between parents being overweight and childhood obesity.

Sachwani et al. (2015) study found the following: The results from the our current study
showed no significant association between maternal risk factors and childhood obesity.
The possible reason could be that in our study, most of the women were younger in age.
Moreover, in the local context it is important to understand that the female marry at an
early age, and subsequently they have their children in early 20s, and 30s years of age.
However, evidences from the large number of studies has related the increased age as the
risk factor for obesity in children. However, a study of 277 children 3-10years of
mentioned that increased maternal age is directly proportional to offspring height, and
inversely proportional to offsprings abdominal fat distribution.

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Exploring Maternal Effects on Childhood Obesity

Over the last fifty years, childhood obesity could be considered an epidemic. Winsor
Murrell & Magun-Jackson say childhood obesity is more than three times more prevalent
today than it was thirty years ago. (2014, p 24). Having an excess of body fat is generally
known as obesity. Having a particular amount of excess body fat for a certain body height is
known as being overweight. Diseases that were only once thought to be found in adults, such as
diabetes and hypertension, are now regularly being found within children. Generally, children
that are found to be obese tend to suffer more not only physically, but mentally; as a result of
this, obesity is now seen as a public health issue. Winsor Murrell & Magun-Jackson say There
are several immediate and long-term health concerns for children who are obese. (2014, p 24).
With the latest advances in technology and transportation, children do not have to do near as
many activities that they used to. Although some scientists believe that childhood obesity could
be genetic, most believe that the increase in childhood obesity is related to the change in foods
such as adding hormones, the change in maternal connections such as divorce and neglect, and
the heredity behind maternal obesity linked with childhood obesity.
Sachwani et al. (2015) explain that a little less than three million deaths every year are
due to humans that are overweight or obese. The world is changing at a fast rate, and there are
worldly changes that are occurring daily that many scientists believe have an effect on the
epidemic that is childhood obesity. One of the major causes that scientists believe has had a huge
impact on childhood obesity is the change in food. Food today is unhealthier than it has ever
been. Hormones are added to the foods that can cause side effects that could lead to obesity in
children. Food today is also very processed and artificial. Children are eating all of this

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unhealthy food because it is convenient and cheap, scientists believe that this has had a major
impact on the statistics. Another study shows that the physical exercise children do today are in
no way a comparison to the amount children used to do. This can be because of technology or
laziness found in the household. Children today eat around three snacks a day, adding a couple
hundred calories to their diet; this is a significant difference compared to the children who used
to only eat one snack, if that, a day. With the somewhat recent advances in transportation,
children ride buses to and from school, whereas, children who grew up years ago were forced to
walk to school. As a result of all of these social changes, many believe that these variables have
had a major impact on the results of childhood obesity today.
Wu et al. (2014) emphasize that the interaction between a childs characteristics and the
parents characteristics is crucial and absolutely necessary to a particular childs health and body
outcome. Many scientists believe that childhood obesity could be linked to some psychological
issues that the child may encounter at a young age. For example, studies show that children who
are neglected, or do not have all of their needs met within a certain time frame, in the early
development stage, show a greater risk of having childhood obesity. If the child is hungry, and
the mother does not meet his needs in a timely manner, it could trigger a sense of neglect, thus,
giving the child a greater risk of encountering childhood obesity. In the same way, if the childs
needs are met in a timely manner, then the child is less likely to develop obesity as a child.
Sachwani et al. (2015) states that parental warmth and sensitivity have been associated with
parentchild cooperation and increased child ability to regulate negative emotions. Many other
psychologists believe that children find comfort in the food, so, when something traumatic in
their life, such as divorce, occurs, they may turn to food in order to meet a need that they are not

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receiving. Psychologically, they may feel as though food is always there for them when their
parents are not. Their parents may constantly be fighting, so they turn to food to give them
comfort and love. It is also believed that children who have health problems at birth and are
denied, or unable to eat, food, are at a greater risk of developing childhood obesity in life. For
example, some children are born with birth defects that do not allow them to consume food at
birth. This could psychologically trigger something they cannot help forcing them to eat an
excess amount of food, thus, causing childhood obesity.
Sachwani et al. (2015) indicates that in their research they believe there is a link between
a mother being obese or overweight and her child being overweight or obese. Wu et al. have
found evidence that childrens eating and physical habits have a lot in common with their parents
eating and physical habits. In a recent study conducted by the International Journal of Nursing
Education, scientist have decided that there is, in fact, a psychological link between maternal
obesity and childhood obesity. In this study, they took infants and their mothers and categorized
them into three temperament levels: easy, average, and difficult. For six months, they watched
these children and their mothers react and interact with each other. The results showed that the
easy child was found to be positive, energetic, interactive, and approachable. In contrast to the
difficult child who was found to be negative, unapproachable, and not energetic. In the study,
they go into detail explaining that the child that is classified as the difficult child is the child
with the greatest risk to become overweight and obese. Although this is found often to be selfinduced, meaning they overeat themselves due to regulatory problems, it is also found that
parents often over feed these children that are found to be the difficult child. This is simply

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because it is easy to feed a child to stop him from crying, but this may only satisfy the short-term
need of the child, not the long-term need.
Overtime, developmental psychologists have recognized the importance of sensitivity
during the early developmental stage. Overall, the mothers that are more sensitive during this
stage tend to have children that are higher achieving and score higher academically. Sachwani et
al. (2015) also say that these children from sensitive maternal homes tend to show fewer signs of
depression, adapt more socially, and fewer risk- taking behaviors. Wu et al. (2014) came to the
conclusions that there was no maternal impact on childhood obesity. This is simply because
children observe and pick up habits that they see their parents doing. Sachwani et al. (2015)
study found the following: The results from the our current study showed no significant
association between maternal risk factors and childhood obesity. The possible reason could be
that in our study, most of the women were younger in age. Moreover, in the local context it is
important to understand that the female marry at an early age, and subsequently they have their
children in early 20s, and 30s years of age. However, evidences from the large number of studies
has related the increased age as the risk factor for obesity in children. However, a study of 277
children 3-10years of mentioned that increased maternal age is directly proportional to offspring
height, and inversely proportional to offsprings abdominal fat distribution. Over a ten year
study, the scientist found no direct link to maternal obesity causing childhood obesity; however,
the results show that if a child is obese, the maternal figure is most likely to be found as being
obese as well.
Winsor et al. (2014) explains that the best way to overall improve obesity is to increase
the amount of exercise and improve ones eating diet. Over the last few decades, obesity has

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almost more than tripled. Today, it is considered a public health issue and epidemic. With
diabetes and hypertension found in children, scientist are left in shock at the amount of change in
children. These results could be because of the change in food recently. With unhealthy food
being the cheap, fast, and convenient food, the added hormones do not help the statistics when it
comes to the rates of childhood obesity; this could also be a reason for obesity rates rising higher
in general. The ability to ride buses instead of walk and stay inside on a nice day to play video
games could have huge impacts on childhood obesity. Today, there are so many reasons to stay
inside and not be active, and this is obviously impacting and making childhood obesity become
more prevalent. Many maternal influences also have scientists believing that childhood obesity
has a lot to do the psychological aspect of living. As a result of neglect or divorce as a very
young child, children may unintentionally feel as though food comforts them in ways that their
parents cannot. They may turn to food for comfort, thus, consuming extra, unnecessary calories.
This reoccurring event will eventually lead to the child becoming overweight and possibly obese.
There are many factors that could possibly cause childhood obesity, but in the end, a healthier
mindset and home environment will give the child the best chance of not becoming overweight
or obese.

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References
Winsor, D., Murrell, V., & Mabel-Jackson, S. (2015) Lifespan Development: An Educational
Psychology Perspective. Online: Pearson.
Wu, T., Dixon, W., Dalton, W., Tudiver, F., & Liu, X. (2011). Joint effects of child temperament
and maternal sensitivity on the development of childhood obesity. Maternal & Child
Health Journal, 15(4), 469-477 9p. doi:10.1007/s10995-010-0601-z
Sachwani, S., Karmaliani, R., Ali Hirani, S. A., Khowaja, A. R., & Lalwani, E. (2015). Whether
Maternal Factors are Associated with Childhood Obesity: a Matched Case-Control Study.
International Journal Of Nursing Education, 7(2), 269-273 5p. doi:10.5958/09749357.2015.00117.8