The self-regulatory ability of toddlers could affect their risk of obesity

American scientists have found that the evaluation of self-control of pups (between 1 and 2 years of age) could predict whether they will be obese or not at the age of five. It would appear, however, that self-regulation does not have the same effect on small boys and girls.

Researchers believe that self-regulation of toddlers would predict the risks of obesity

Scientists at Ohio State University have studied data on 6,400 US children to see if a child's ability to control himself at two years of age could be related to his risk of obesity at five years.

Measured self-regulation of children at home, using a point system based on their adaptability, tenacity, attention, and tolerance of frustration.

Each child was scored from one to five for each domain, a score of 20 indicated a very high level of self-regulation.

" Observers noted for example whether a child readily agreed to leave his cube when an adult said it was time to play something else, if it was difficult for him to focus his attention or if he was easily irritated when things did not go as he wanted ", explained co-author Sarah Anderson.

Researchers also badyzed gender differences in their control abilities and came up with different results.

They found that girls who scored were very strong very low self-regulation at two years were more likely to become obese at five years than boys with average self-regulation abilities.

However, boys who were successful They were less likely to become obese at age five compared to their average or low-performing peers.

Professor Anderson commented that significant differences between boys and girls raise important questions about the role of gender in the development of childhood obesity.

" We are trying ways to avoid childhood obesity, and some of these approaches include the improvement of self-regulation.Our study suggests that this could have an unforeseen impact on some girls "said the researcher.

" From from this research we can only speculate, but it is possible that girls and boys react differently to social expectations and that this could play a role vis-a-vis the childhood obesity ", she continues. " If you are a boy and the people around you accept more when you get angry, the social stress emanating from your environment may be less than for a girl "

Created on July 17, 2018

Sources:

Association of Self-Regulation With Obesity in Boys vs. Girls in a US National Sample – Sarah Anderson, Robert C. Whitaker – JAMA Pediatr. Published online July 16, 2018. (Available online)

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