Abstract
Observational studies increasingly emphasize the impact of general parenting on the development of childhood overweight and obesity. The aim of the current literature review was to provide an overview of interventions addressing general parenting in order to prevent or treat childhood obesity. Electronic literature databases were systematically searched for relevant studies. Seven studies were eligible for inclusion. The studies described four different general parenting programs, which were supplemented with lifestyle components (i.e., physical activity and nutrition). All studies showed significant small to moderate intervention effects on at least one weight-related outcome measure. The current review shows that despite the emerging observational evidence for the role of parenting in children's weight-related outcomes, few interventions have been developed that address general parenting in the prevention of childhood obesity. These interventions provide evidence that the promotion of authoritative parenting is an effective strategy for the prevention and management of childhood obesity.
Acknowledgements
The present study was funded by the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMW) to Sanne Gerards, and by the Netherlands Heart Foundation, grant number 2008 B112 to Ester Sleddens.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.