Why children are more likely to suffer from obesity in single mothers?

The problem of childhood obesity in the United States is very acute. Every fifth child is overweight. Therefore, experts spend a lot of time on this problem, searching for the causes of obesity in children and ways to prevent them. As the last study showed, that a child grows in a full family plays a significant role in this issue.

Scientists have concluded that in single mothers, children suffer from obesity much more often. This is the conclusion reached by researchers from the University of California at San Diego. During the study, experts estimated a body mass index of about 1,000 Chilean children aged 5, 10, 15 and 21 years. After that, they analyzed a variety of factors that could cause weight gain. Among them was the fact that children, who are raised by single mothers, are more susceptible to overweight.

Experts themselves find it difficult to explain accurately this relationship. However, they can assume that fathers more often involve children in outdoor games that require physical exertion. This contributes to the expenditure of energy and burning calories. In addition, scientists suggest that mothers, who are forced alone to raise a child, have less time. They can't devote time to joint walks or cooking more healthy food, since the double volume of homework falls on their shoulders.