From The Buffalo News: “Mothers more engaged during active play with their infant children do a better job protecting them from obesity.
What’s more, nurturing mothers also can help buffer their offspring from entering abusive relationships once they reach their teens.
These are the findings of two new University at Buffalo studies that will capture international attention in coming weeks.
Both research studies took root in the university Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, following mostly children born to parents who used alcohol, cocaine or other drugs. Each concluded that even under those circumstances – which raise the risk of child obesity, as well as being part of an abusive relationship – a supportive, respectful primary caregiver can lower those risks.
‘If we can see these effects when you mitigate the negative consequences from the womb, you can only imagine the effect this could have for the typical population on mental health and physical health,’ said Kai Ling Kong, lead author of the obesity study and assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Behavioral Health at the UB Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.”
