Children of obese fathers are more likely to have difficulty interacting with others. This was the finding of a new study published in the journal ‘Pediatrics.’
The study also shows that weight of parents may cause developmental delays in kids, affecting their motor skills and problem solving abilities.
Furthermore, such children were more likely to fail measures of social competence and those born to extremely obese couples, were more likely to fail tests of problem-solving ability, the researchers from the United States National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) said.
In addition, the study found that children of obese mothers were more likely to fail tests of fine motor skill – the ability to control movement of small muscles, such as those in the fingers and hands.
The researchers noted that animal studies indicate that obesity during pregnancy may promote inflammation, which could affect the fetal brain. Obesity is a condition where a person has accumulated so much body fat that it might have a negative effect on his/ her health.
A person with a body mass index, BMI, of 30 or more is generally considered obese while person with a BMI equal to or more than 25 is considered overweight.
Reacting to the development, Edwina Yeung from NICHD said: “The previous United States studies in this area have focused on the mothers’ pre and post-pregnancy weight.”
Yeung added; “Our study is one of the few that also includes information about fathers, and our results suggest that dad’s weight also has significant influence on child development.
The researchers reviewed data collected from more than 5,000 women enrolled in the study roughly four months after giving birth in New York State, between 2008 and 2010.
Compared to children of normal weight mothers, children of obese mothers were nearly 70 per cent more likely to have failed the test indicator on fine motor skill by age three.
Children of obese fathers were 75 per cent more likely to fail the test’s personal-social domain – an indicator of how well they were able to relate to and interact with others by age three.
Children with two obese parents were nearly three times more likely to fail the test’s problem-solving section by age three. It is not known why parental obesity might increase children’s risk for developmental delay.
The Newtelegraph
By: Appolonia Adeyemi
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