BALTIMORE — Parents who use food to sooth anger- and tantrum-prone infants may raise the likelihood of those youngsters becoming overweight or obese, according to preliminary evidence presented March 13 by psychologist Cynthia Stifter of Pennsylvania State University in University Park.
“This type of parental behavior may promote an association between food and comfort in kids who are temperamentally disposed to anger,” Stifter said at the International Conference on Infant Studies.
Log in
Subscribers, enter your e-mail address for full access to the Science News archives and digital editions.