Role of Grandparents in Childhood Obesity during First Two Years of Life

Abstract

Introduction: Childhood obesity is a public health problem in the United States. One consideration that remains relatively unexplored is the influence of the grandparent on weight status of the grandchild in ages 0-2 years. The aim of this paper is to synthesize the literature on a) influence of grandparents' involvement on child weight gain; b) influence of grandparents' involvement on breastfeeding behaviors and associated obesity risk; c) effects of grandparents' support about nutrition, cooperative co-parenting, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and body mass index on feeding practices and weight gain; d) impact of child temperament and weight status on grandparent feeding practices; e) contribution of cultural norms and acculturation on child weight gain in ages 0-2 years.