Only children eat more sugar
Are you an only child? Or are you the parent of an only child? Children without any siblings run a 50% higher risk of getting obese, compared to those who have siblings. They are more often rewarded with food, according to a new study, which was produced by the Sahlgrenska Academy. The study included 12 700 children between 2 and 9 years of age from Sweden and seven other countries. Considered were the weight of the parents and the child’s weight at birth. What the reasons are behind these differences is not clear, but the researchers point at several factors. Only children play less outdoors, watch more TV, and consume more sugar than children with siblings. Parents of only children are much more compelled to use food as a reward, than parents of multiple children. The study also makes it clear that children in southern Europe are fatter than Swedish children. In the Swedish part of the study, 9.5% are considered overweight, whereas in Italy the corresponding number is 41.9%.