Parenting styles and weight stigma in children

One of the great health problems in Mexico is the issue of childhood overweight and obesity. This is indicated by the prevalence of nutrition surveys, but also what is observed day by day in groups of children of all ages.

An undoubtedly sensitive issue, not only because of physical health, but also because of the prognosis of these children in adulthood and, above all, because of what it means for their development and emotional well-being. The approach to overweight and obesity in children requires not only training in nutritional and medical aspects, but also a whole background of training in how to interact with the patient and the ways to report on the condition without this meaning a stigmatization, of which the majority of children are already subjected by their peers and by their own relatives.

Some of the most common ways of addressing the problem is the approach that aims to “correct” these children (because the problem is assumed as something that needs to be corrected, punished or reprimanded). The discourses around this style often derive from authoritarian parenting styles, which are characterized above all by having little contact with emotionality and little acceptance. They are also characterized by punishment over discipline. Many of these styles are reflected in speeches in which parents believe that shaming the child because “he is fatter”, “because if he lost weight he would run better”, “because he already ate a lot”, “because he should be ashamed that see him eat so much”, “because he should listen to the doctor”. These styles are the ones that cause the most damage to children on an emotional level, stigmatize them and leave an emotional imprint beyond what weight actually means. This style admits little reflection on the conditions that have promoted children to be overweight, from the living conditions at home, the eating habits promoted by the parents, the access to food they have, or the way in which it is treated the relationship with food beyond a simple biological or emotional need. Many of these factors find their genesis in the same parents, grandparents or people in charge of raising children.

On the contrary, there are parents with more “permissive” styles who, on the contrary, have lowered their arms in trying to establish good routines with their children, because among all the things to worry about, the construction of healthy habits implies much more effort. Or on the contrary, they try to compensate for some lack by not setting limits or disciplining their children, issues that are necessary for building habits.

It does not mean, however, that the blame for the whole problem lies with the parents. However, having an openness to self-reflection on the way in which habits have been built within the family nucleus is a good opportunity to work on a situation that results in better emotional well-being for children, who in the end it is the purpose of most parents. If the analysis goes beyond the parents, it is good to approach professionals who also take into account the way in which they direct the speeches of orientation towards non-stigmatization.