Straightforward Talk With Children is an Easy Way to Approach the Topic of Obesity: Study

Be straightforward with your obese children about their weight, a latest study suggests.

The study conducted by University of Otago in New Zealand, found that being straightforward and not being judgmental about children's weight could be a helpful way to discuss obesity with them

"We know from doctors and other health professionals that they are quite reluctant to talk about overweight and obesity with parents because it's a pretty sensitive, emotive issue. How do you bring it up? If we are going to do this in all our four-year-olds we need to have a pretty good way of informing parents," the researchers said.

The researchers, headed by associate professor, Rachael Taylor from the University's Edgar National Center for Diabetes and Obesity Research, examined the B4 School Check data.

Height and weight measurements were added to the school check in 2008. This helped researchers to understand when children could be susceptible to excessive weight gain. They studied children, aged between four and eight, from 1,093 families.

They then studied the effects of encouraging, straightforward and non-judgmental conversations as opposed to Motivational interviewing (MI). MI is generally used in alcohol addiction to inspire people to give up the habit. The researchers said they thought that straightforward counseling could possibly be a simpler way to approach the subject of obesity with parents.

They found that straightforward talks with parents about obesity were an easy way to deal the subject. Nearly 80 percent of the sample set reported that the feedback from the doctor was good and non-judgmental. About two-thirds of the parents admitted that their children were overweight and that may lead to health problems. Around 271 overweight children were reported in the study.

"It's good that usual care feedback was just as good as MI because usual care - giving feedback in a straight-forward, non-judgmental and empathetic way - is obviously going to be much easier for health practitioners," Taylor said.