Family Life

12.27.11 | Sarah Harnisch

  A new study links obesity to the mother-child relationship. Ohio State University research shows the better the relationship, the less chance there is that a child will be overweight as a teen. Researchers found over 25-percent of toddlers who did not connect emotionally with mom were obese as teenagers, whereas just 13-percent of kids with strong maternal bonds were obese. Scientists say strengthening the mother-child bond may reduce obesity. Essentially, it means focusing on emtions may be just as critical as nutrition or exercise in defeating obesity.