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(CNN) - Unique children may have a higher risk of obesity than children who have siblings, according to a new study published Wednesday.
The study examined the eating habits and body weight of unique children and found that they had fewer healthy eating habits and beverage options than families with several children.
While the sample size was small and the study could not establish the cause and effect, "it raises an interesting point that we should understand better," said pediatrician Dr. Natalie Muth, who chairs the Obesity Section of the American Academy of Pediatrics
"Several studies in addition to this have shown that only children are more likely to be overweight or obese," said Muth, who was not involved in the study.
"Why is that? While this study does not provide the answer to that question, it is useful to build the body of research that will eventually provide clearer answers, ”said Muth.
What it means to be an 'only child'
The only children have fascinated researchers for a long time. Early studies focused on the many negative aspects that society falsely believed about single children, such as the idea that a child would become stubborn, selfish, self-centered, competitive, overly spoiled and unable to share if he grew up alone. Or, that they became self-absorbed hypochondriacs.
"Many people assumed that only children are defective, so much research has been done on performance and personality," said Toni Falbo, a psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin, who has investigated only children since the decade of 1980.
In 1986, Falbo conducted a meta-analysis of 200 studies with only children and discovered that they excelled in achievements, intelligence and character over children with siblings, especially those with older brothers or sisters.
"On average, only children get more education and get better scores on various performance tests," Falbo said. “As for personality achievements, they are doing well. They have reasonably positive personalities and are no more prone to mental illness than any other person. ”
The only difference his analysis found was that the only children seemed to have stronger ties with their parents than children with siblings, a finding that was later backed by a 2018 study of 10,000 German schoolchildren.
Connection with obesity
However, in recent decades, studies in Europe and China began to look for a link between weight gain and being an only child; Some also looked at the birth order.
The one-child policy in force in China between 1980 and 2016 gave researchers a goldmine of data. For example, a study of almost 20,000 unique Chinese children found that in urban China they were 36% more likely to be overweight and 43% more obese than children who had siblings.
Other studies found that being an only child or being the last child to be born was associated with obesity, possibly due to the way parents behaved during meals: less pleading, more association with food as a reward and more negative control over Food choices
In the current study, researchers found that mothers of only children were more likely to be overweight. Could the results of this study simply be due to the fact that a father transmitted bad eating habits or a genetic tendency to obesity?
"We know that obesity is closely related to families, so it is possible that this explains the difference in this study," said Muth.
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However, lead author Chelsea Kracht, a researcher at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University, believes the results could be explained by the differences in planning and organization required of mothers with several children.
“With several children, you are programming your meals a little more. So we will have more meals at home. We will probably have less fast food, ”Kracht said in an interview for the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.
Muth suggested several other possibilities. “Maybe there is more food for everyone. Or that they are less active because they don't have a partner to play with them. Or maybe there is a biological factor at play, ”said Muth. "It's hard to say for sure, but this is the question researchers are trying to solve."
Falbo is currently investigating only teenage children and discovers that they spend more time on screens, which reduces their ability to be active.
"They are not bothering their brothers and jumping up and down and doing the kind of things the brothers do," he said.
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"My research also shows that they are more likely to eat fast foods frequently," Falbo said. "In terms of the entire area of obesity research, it is known that the more homemade meals you eat instead of fast foods, the less likely you have a high body mass index."
The good news, says Falbo, is that these behaviors are repairable. “You have to reduce the time on screen [and] control the amount of fast food. It is feasible, ”he said.
Muth agrees: "While we don't understand all the ins and outs of why, we do know that there is a markedly greater risk of overweight and childhood obesity for single children."
"Parents of only children who are aware of this risk can prevent overweight or obesity in their children by paying special attention to creating a healthy and active home environment," he said.
Childhood Obesity
