Emotional kids whose parents used food as a coping mechanism ate five times more calories when bored.
Indeed, children possess abundant energy, and even the most seasoned parents can find it challenging to keep them entertained constantly. However, Aston University’s paper, published late last year, underscores the significance of keeping children occupied, revealing that boredom can lead children to overeat, potentially resulting in obesity.
Kids have a lot of energy, and no matter the number of kids or years of experience a parent has, keeping their children entertained 24/7 can be quite a challenge. However, imposing the importance of keeping children occupied, Aston University published a paper late last year, stating that boredom can actually cause children to overeat, resulting in obesity.
Boredom Causes Overeating
The study conducted by Dr. Rebecca Ann Stone highlights the significant impact of boredom on children’s eating behaviors. Children as young as four tend to consume 79% more calories when they’re bored. Moreover, emotional children whose parents use food as a coping mechanism for them consume five times more calories when bored.
On average, children eat 95 kcal more calories out of boredom, even when they don’t feel hungry, compared to children in a neutral mood who consume 59 kcal. These findings support the concerns raised by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, which reported that 32.5% of Indians are addicted to food. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, “Overweight and obesity can develop over time when you consume more calories than you use.”
Parental feeding habits play a significant role in this phenomenon, as they can induce emotional feeding in children. When parents offer food to help their children cope with negative emotions like sadness or boredom, it teaches the children to turn to food for comfort. As a result, such children may consume 104 kcal when feeling bored and only 21 kcal when not.
Emotional Feeding
In a press release by Aston University discussing the findings of her study, Dr. Stone emphasized the significance of the results. She stated, “If children are eating this many more calories during one instance of boredom induced in a laboratory (a four-minute period), given that boredom is a commonly experienced emotion in children, the potential for excess calorie intake in response to being bored across one day, one week, or one year, is potentially very significant in a food abundant environment.”
Dr. Stone highlighted the importance of children learning how to cope with boredom, as it fosters a sense of self-awareness and creativity. Therefore, parents should avoid using food to alleviate their children’s boredom, as it can contribute to unhealthy eating habits. Instead, they should encourage alternative activities and strategies to manage boredom effectively.