Investigation of the role of parenting, emotion regulation, emotional eating and lifestyle factors in adolescents’ weight

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study is to explore the relationships between an adolescent’s weight and parenting style, emotional eating, and emotional regulation and lifestyle behaviours to further develop the understanding of the factors that contribute to the current epidemic of childhood obesity. Design: A cross sectional survey design was used. Method: 112 adolescents, aged between 16 and 18 from three secondary schools in Scotland completed a self-report questionnaire on their mother and father’s parenting style, their own emotional regulation strategies, emotional eating and lifestyle behaviours. Their height and weight was measured by the researcher and used to calculate the adolescents’ BMI. Results: Overall, this study did not find that adolescent’s healthy food habits, exercise and emotional eating predicted BMI. There were no significant relationships found between BMI and parenting style, emotional eating and emotional regulation. Conclusion: These findings suggest that parenting style, emotional eating, emotional regulation and lifestyle behaviours are not related to adolescent weight.