In a new study conducted by the University of Bristol and Emory University, it is now affirmative that parents do influence their kid’s weight, right from the pregnancy. Children whose parents had a healthy lifestyle and positive thinking were found to be less prone to obesity. We are sure if you only love playing online casino games with a Tropicana bonus code and never could get yourself to the gym, it’s not all your fault.

Locus of control:

The study was conducted primarily to get a confirmatory outcome on a psychological measure called locus of control. It is used to measure an individual’s attitude towards his/her own lifestyle and on self. Those with an External Locus of control believe that they can’t control whatever happens in their life. Their weight is one of them.

As a result, they tend to neglect their weight and indulge in an unhealthy lifestyle. On the other hand, those with an internal locus of control believe that they can change the course of their life with their own attitude. For one, they pay more attention to their food-habits and lifestyle. As a result, they are healthier both physically and psychologically.

The Study And What It Says

Unlike some other studies, there were plenty of test subjects here. The study was conducted among 7000 randomly selected parents. It was discovered that in an obese child, mother’s external locus of control contributes about 1.7kg of fat. The father’s same attitude adds about 1.49 kg. The kid’s same external locus of control adds another 1.5 kg.

Simply told, parents who are health conscious encourage their child to pay equal attention to his/her health. Most of the time, these parents are involved in some form of physical activity like running or playing some games. The child develops the same habit from the very beginning. This ensures that the child stays free of obesity.

In the other case, the parents think that nothing can control the gaining weight. So instead of exercising, they only sulk. They inevitably transfer the same attitude to their child. So the child also doesn’t invest time in exercises or sports and gets vulnerable to obesity.

The conclusion:

The study clearly indicates that while combating obesity, equal attention needs to be paid to the psyche of the people. They need to be educated about the ill effects of having an external locus of control. Especially the expecting ladies and their partners need to be made psychologically prepared to lead a healthy lifestyle. Obesity currently affects more than 650 million adults.

It is spreading like an epidemic even among the kids. These studies are surely going to educate the masses about their unhealthy eating habits and their ill-effects.

Once the parents understand this complex web of events, they can control their child from getting obese. The very step starts right from the pregnancy with parents adopting a healthy lifestyle.

Are you overweight? What are you doing to keep yourself healthy? Let us know in the comments below!