Divorce causes children to gain weight

Yes, divorce, psychological problems are the most that leads to children gaining weight. A British study conducted by researchers at the London School of Economics and Political Science revealed that the divorce of parents before their children reach the age of six, may affect the children and make them more ready for obesity compared to their peers who live with their parents.

The study relied on calculating the body mass index (BMI), which examines the relationship between body height and weight and reveals whether or not a person has an ideal weight. 7574 children born between 2000 and 2002.

The results revealed that one out of 5 children experienced parental separation before reaching the age of 11, and that children whose parents separated gained more weight during two years of this separation, compared to their peers who were not exposed to this experience, and the study revealed the readiness of these children to obesity within 3 years of separation.

The researchers attributed the reasons for the children’s weight gain after the parents’ separation to several reasons, including the increase in fathers’ working hours and the lack of healthy food for children, as well as the lack of material resources that may affect the parents’ purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables, and may also affect the children’s sports activities.

The researchers called for providing support to families suffering from family disintegration, and making efforts to help children overcome this experience and protect them from gaining weight, stressing that early intervention may prevent or reduce the causes that lead to childhood obesity.