超重媽媽、單親媽媽注意了！澳大利亞一項最新研究表明，超重媽媽或單親媽媽更易于養胖小孩。研究發現，媽媽的體重和婚姻狀況對孩子的健康體重有決定性影響。問題家庭會造成孩子非健康型肥胖。

Overweight or single mums are more likely to breedchubby children, new Australian research has found.

A study published in the Medical Journal of Australia shows a mother's weight andmarital statushave more influence on childhood obesity than her parenting style.

The study found that family conflict, negative life events, andmaternal depressionwere not likely to affect a child's tendency to become overweight or obese.

"We found that parenting style was not associated with childhood obesity," said lead author Dr Lisa Gibson, a psychologist with the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth.

"Previous indications of a link between poor family functioning and childhood obesity were based on studies without population-based data and without observations across a range of theoretically important factors."

But parenting practices regarding eating and exercise may play a role in childhood weight problems, Dr Gibson said.

"Children from single-parent families, particularly when there is a family history of obesity, may struggle to maintain a healthy weight in an obesogenic environment with restricted access to nutritious foods and adequate facilities for recreational exercise," she said.

"The association between children's weight, maternal BMI (body mass index) and family structure confirms the need to find ways of targeting prevention and intervention efforts for childhood obesity at families with overweight parents, particularly under-resourced single-parent families."

（Agencies） 

Vocabulary:    

chubby children：肥胖兒童

marital status：婚姻狀況

maternal depression：母親患有抑郁癥

（英語點津陳蓓編輯）