FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ) — It’s logical to conclude that parents’ dietary and exercise habits can affect their children’s physical health.
However, according to a new study, parental obesity may also be linked to developmental delays.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health, say the weight of a mother or father could affect social, problem-solving, and fine motor skills.
In the study involving 5,000 participants, children whose mothers were obese, were 70 percent more likely to struggle with fine motor skills, by age 3.
Children of obese fathers, were 75 percent more likely to lack social skills, by the same age.
The study’s authors say their findings highlight the risks obesity plays in conception, pregnancy, and early parenting.
