An Only Child Runs Greater Risk Of Obesity

Only children are often thought to be more likely to be spoiled by doting parents and grandparents. There is also a risk that only children are more likely to be overweight or obese.

A study of 12,700 children in eight European countries published in Nutrition and Diabetes finds that those with no siblings are 50 percent more likely to be obese or overweight than children with brothers and sisters.

The researchers from various parts of Europe examined diet, lifestyle and obesity in order to analyze their health effects on children aged 2 to 9 years.

“Our study shows that only children play outside less often, live in households with lower levels of education more often, and are more likely to have televisions in their bedrooms. But even when we take these factors into account, the correlation between singleton status and overweight is strong.

“Being an only child appears to be a risk factor for overweight independent of the factors we thought might explain the difference,” says Monica Hunsberger, a researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, who contributed to the study.