Parenting adolescents: The association between parenting style and eating behaviour and BMI

Abstract

Abstract: The rates of overweight among children and adolescents have been increasing rapidly on a global level. Being overweight in childhood is associated with a lot of serious health problems. Associations between parenting style and the eating behaviour and BMI of children have been reported in earlier research. However, limited attention has been paid to the influence of parenting styles on eating behaviour and BMI in adolescence. Method: Cross-sectional survey data from 598 Dutch adolescents between the age of 10 and 17 years was used. A multiple logistic regressions analysis and multiple linear regressions analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Results: A significant positive relation was found between the neglectful parenting style and BMI. Furthermore, neglectful and authoritarian parenting were significantly, negatively related to healthy eating. No differences were found for unhealthy eating. There was no empirical backup for the moderating role of gender on eating behaviour and BMI. Conclusions: Results confirm that parenting style has an influence on adolescents eating behaviour and BMI. Based on the outcomes of this study, interventions should target the quality of the relationship between parents and their adolescent children to influence adolescents eating behaviour and BMI. Those interventions should aim to provide information on the principles of effective parenting and the avoidance of adolescents growing up in households with low warmth and control. The results of this study add to the existing research evidence that parenting style still contributes to health outcomes when children reach adolescence.