An Australian study suggests obese, single mothers are more likely to "breed" chubby children. This article starts out strong and finishes even better on my annoy-o-meter. Obese and single mothers don't "have children", they don't "raise children who may also be obese". Obese, single mothers "breed" chubby children.
On the bright side, this study, published in the Medical Journal Of Australia, does not blame childhood obesity on family conflict, negative life events, or maternal depression. Hooray! We've taken away mother blame but added blaming a mother for being single. The study claims the correlation is due to genetic predisposition toward being obese and possible lack of healthy food options because one parent is choosing what foods are in the home.
As a baby my first born had horrible sinus infections and was sick for almost a full year. As we took her to specialists the first question they asked was, "Do you work out of the home?" Because it would have been my fault my daughter was ill if I didn't stay at home with her. When I told the specialists and pediatricians my daughter was at home all day with only me they asked if she was breastfed. She wasn't so how could I be surprised she had sinus infections?
I think what I've realized about medical studies is they're good for overall trends but they rarely relate to individuals.
*Photo courtesy of Pete Mandik.
