Children of divorced parents have more chances of becoming obese, two newest studies reveal.
Studies presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Sofia, Friday, shed light on prevalence of obesity among children of divorced parents.
A study by Norwegian researchers found that changes to family structure can significantly affect the weight of the children. For the study, the researchers measured height, weight and waist circumference of 3,166 Norwegian children who were in third grades. The data was then compared with their parental marital status.
The analysis showed that children of divorced parents had 1.54 times more chances of being obese as opposed to those of married parents.
The second study from Norway of 7,915 children in eight European countries showed that children who ate breakfast and dinner with their parents were less likely to be overweight than those who did not.
The researchers stated that children who ate breakfast with their parents at least 5 to 7 times a week had 40 percent less chances of being overweight compared with children who ate breakfast with their parents just 2 to 4 times or less every week.
Moreover, children who had dinner with their parents 5 to 7 times per week were 30 percent less likely to be overweight than those who did not.
However, the result was quite opposite for children who had lunch with their parents. It showed that eating lunch with parents increased the risk of obesity among children by 20 percent.
A recent study showed a link between ability to taste fat and obesity. The researchers said that people who were unable to taste fat in food had more chances of becoming obese due to overeating.
