Parenting advice to combat childhood obesity

Obesity rates have been steadily rising in recent years, so much so that fathers may want to heed parenting advice about ways to combat the perceived epidemic.

According to the American Psychological Association, childhood obesity rates have quadrupled in the last 40 years and suggest that today’s youth may have a shorter lifespan than their parents.

Dr Edward Abramson, a professor emeritus at California State University-Chico, said at a convention that there was an increase in type 2 diabetes and that more than 60 percent of overweight children have one rest factor for heart disease.

"Parents’ attitudes and behaviors also have an influence on children’s eating, and mothers more than fathers affect children’s eating habits and body image," Abramson said.

Past studies have found that fathers can have a profound influence on their children’s eating habits through leading by example. Fathers who eat healthily and routinely exercise will have children who follow suit.

However, a child’s diet isn’t something that can be changed quickly. One piece of parenting advice fathers may want to follow is to slowly cut out soft drinks and incorporate water at meals, which will help reduce a child’s sugar intake.