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Researchers believe that the self-regulation of toddlers would predict the risks of childhood obesity.
RelaxNews /
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American scientists have found that the evaluation of self-control of pups (between 1 and 2 years) could predict whether they will be obese or not at the age of five. It would seem, however, that self-regulation does not have the same effect on little boys and girls.
Scientists at Ohio State University have studied data on 6,400 American children to see if a child's ability to control himself at two years of age could be linked to his risk of obesity at age five
They measured the self-regulation of children at home, using a point system according to 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, whether it was difficult for him to focus his attention or if he was easily upset when things were not going his way, "said 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 either very strong or very weak in self-regulation at 2 years were more likely to become obese at age 5 than boys with average self-regulation abilities.
However, boys who were best at controlling themselves were less likely to become obese at age five compared to their average or low-achieving 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 try 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 this research we can only speculate, but girls and boys may react differently to social expectations and this may play a role in 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."
The results of this research appeared in the journal JAMA Pediatrics
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