Parents May Be Preventing Teen Weight Loss

According to new research published in the journal Pediatrics, parents of overweight teens may unknowingly prevent their children from successfully losing weight. The study, conducted by a Minneapolis-based team, examined the behaviors of parents who correctly recognized that their child had a weight problem.

The research suggests that parents often have difficulty recognizing childhood and teen obesity in their own children. This study was designed to explore whether a significant difference existed between teens whose parents did not recognize a weight problem and teens whose parents recognized the problem but took no action beyond talking about it.

The study found that parents who merely talked with their children about diet and weight loss, without taking other action, were no more effective at helping their children than those who did not recognize the weight problem at all. The teens were observed once in 1999 and again in 2004. Surprisingly, the study found that verbal parental encouragement often backfired and predicted poorer weight outcomes such as increased weight gain, especially in girls.

Researchers attribute this surprising result to the fact that verbal encouragement from parents can be misguided and take the form of criticism, nagging, and even ridicule. These interactions tend to break down teens' self-esteem and optimism, and also do not teach teens anything about making healthier choices.

According to the researchers, the study supports the importance of a healthy home environment for teens to successfully address teen obesity. The lead researcher, Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RD, of the division of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota, comments in the journal article:

"Accurate classification of child overweight status may not translate into helpful behaviors and may lead to unhealthy behaviors, such as encouragement to diet. ... Instead of focusing on weight per se, it may be more helpful to direct efforts toward helping parents provide a home environment that supports healthful eating, physical activity, and well-being."