Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

The My Overweight Child blog will help you keep informed about the latest research, findings, and resources available to parents of overweight or obese kids. There are many knowledgeable people working on the increasingly dire problem of childhood obesity - and we want to give parents a place where they can check in regularly to see the latest studies and tips available to help you help your child lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Overweight Kids Encourage Each Other to Eat More

Several recent studies have indicated that overweight people tend to have overweight friends. Now a new report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that overweight friends may actually encourage one another to overeat.
  • Researchers at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine enrolled 23 overweight and 42 normal weight children ages nine to 15 years old in their study.
  • The children could select a friend that they knew or an unfamiliar person of a similar age as their partner.
  • Then they went in a room with games, puzzles and bowls of snacks.
  • They could choose healthy snacks, such as carrots and grapes, or junk foods such as potato chips and cookies.
  • Children who were paired with friends tended to eat more.
  • Overweight children paired with either overweight friends or strangers ate more than overweight children paired with normal weight children
"Being in the company of overweight peers may give them permission to eat more or may decrease their inhibitions, increasing what are seen as the norms of appropriate eating or how much one should eat," said Professor Sarah Salvy. "These results are important, considering the role of friends as agents of change in childhood and adolescence."

Labels: research, overeating

Posted By: Aspen/CRC


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