Research shows that weight, depression and diet are related to the number of siblings and their gender

A study of adolescent siblings linked conflict with a greater risk of being chubby, and the risk was lowest in sister-sister relationships.

Anyone who has worn hand-me-down clothes, shared a rest room, or experienced a protracted automotive trip with a brother or sister knows that siblings can influence your life in almost every way conceivable.

However, scientists are just starting to discover how these relationships affect health.

“It’s a pretty underdeveloped area,” said Dr. Susan B. Sisson, a professor of dietary sciences at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences in Oklahoma City, who has studied the links between siblings and health. But research points to the power of siblings – or lack thereof.

Evidence suggests that siblings have “quite a big influence” on health behaviors related to obesity, physical activity, nutrition and more, Sisson said.

Research could be difficult. Let’s start with the fact that “families are quite complex,” Sisson said. Siblings could be joined through birth, adoption, or stepparenting.

“It’s really hard to make any blanket statements about sibling relationships and influence because there are so many factors to consider,” said Dr. Keith Vakafatu Osai, assistant professor of child and family studies at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.

But Osai, who conducted her own research, examined how siblings influence one another decision to practice youth sportsstated that there is no such thing as a denying the huge role siblings play in shaping one another.

“We usually say it’s the most enduring relationship of all,” he said. “We are with our parents when we are born, but usually our siblings are there too.” Spouses and significant others may come and go, but siblings still exist. “And then our parents passed away,” he said, “but our siblings are still there.”

Here are some of the links scientists have found between siblings and various health aspects.

How we eat

Sisson was a co-author of, amongst others, test, published in 2019 in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, which compared the habits of 43 children with siblings with 27 only children. It has been shown that young children with siblings ate healthier than children without siblings.

“Some of this is probably just an example of busy parents,” she said. For example, parents may find it easier to afford fast food with one child than with several. And large families tend to eat more family meals, she added, which is related to healthier eating.

Actually, children who’ve more siblings A study published in the journal Social Science and Medicine in 2017 found that they eat healthier diets and watch TV less often. Each additional sibling has been shown to be related to a 2.6 percentage point decrease in the odds of obesity in early adolescence. Other exercise are also related to having siblings with lower levels of obesity compared to those without siblings.

But this shouldn’t be all the time the case. A study involving 326 families with two adolescent siblings linked sibling conflict with an increased risk of being chubby in adolescence. In a study published in 2014 Family relationsthe correlation was highest in brother-brother and older brother-younger sister relationships, and lowest in sister-sister relationships.

How we move

Sisson found that children with siblings showed higher levels of physical activity than single children. Some evaluation of previous research that she helped write suggested that children who had more siblings were more energetic.

AND separate examination on 161 children in kindergarten in Portugal, published in Children in 2021, found that children from homes with siblings tended to have higher motor skills than children without siblings.

Siblings is usually a “built-in playmate,” Sisson said. A parent could also be more willing to send a baby outside to play in the event that they have an older brother or sister who can control them, she suggested, or children is likely to be more likely to have the opportunity to walk home in the event that they can accomplish that as a pair. and not alone.

Genes obviously play a giant role in fitness and obesity, she added. “But genetics doesn’t necessarily affect whether you have someone who will kick the ball for you.”

And then there are responsibilities. “When there are more people in a household, there is more work to be done,” Sisson said, and parents are more likely to outsource that work.

Osai’s own research on youth sports has found that siblings who’ve warm relationships with older siblings tend to follow their interests in sports. He also knows it from his private life.

“My siblings have really helped shape the way I play sports and physical activity,” Osai said. He is the youngest of eight children – 4 boys and 4 girls. The oldest of them was 17 years old when he was born.

He said his first unofficial coaches were his brothers. On the street, in the yard, in parks and in church gyms, “they were the first to teach me how to catch a ball and shoot.” When a sister with a son who played youth soccer saw that Osai was eager to join, she brought the idea to her parents, then drove him to practice and cheered him on. He ended up playing all through elementary school.

The risk we take

Osai stated that siblings influence our selections related to crime and dangerous behaviors reminiscent of smoking, drug and alcohol use. Siblings similar in age or biological sex feel more socially connected or report warmer relationships and are more likely to follow older siblings who engage in dangerous behavior, he added.

Sanity

Research suggests that siblings can influence us for higher or worse.

A study published in December in the journal Journal of family problems which analyzed data on about 9,400 eighth-grade students in China and about 9,100 in the U.S., linked more siblings to poorer mental health.

Harvard Study of Adult Development, which was has been tracking two groups of men since 1939linked poorer relationships with siblings before the age of 20 with the risk of major depression in maturity.

On the other hand, a study of Latinos in southern California published in: Evolution, medicine and public health in 2021found that having sisters and having more communication with siblings was related to fewer depressive symptoms while pregnant.

A study published in the Journal of Family Psychology in 2019 found that amongst older adults: warm relationships with siblings was related to lower levels of loneliness.

Given all the potential ways siblings can influence health, what should someone do? Sisson suggested that it is vital for fogeys to just bear in mind of the role that siblings and family play.

It encourages parents to “do what you can to promote shared family meals, healthy eating, healthy food choices, limited screen time and more exercise.” Parents of only children might want to pay special attention to family meals or create opportunities for energetic play.

Osai stated that given the potential lifelong impact of siblings, it is vital to cultivate relationships between siblings.

“It’s an intimate relationship,” he said. Siblings could be allies who share secrets, but they may also cause lots of harm. Therefore, “leaving room for forgiveness” and mutual interest in the actions of others may bear fruit over time, he added.

Osai admits that sibling relationships could be full of conflict, rivalry and jealousy. However, he recognizes the support he received from his siblings and their contribution to his success each in and outside of sports.

“Sibling relationships can be difficult at times,” he said. “But these relationships can be incredibly warm and beneficial in many ways.”

!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||(),g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){ g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(“has-recommended-video”,”true”)})}();var _bp=_bp||();_bp.push({“div”:”Brid_21904″, “obj”:{“id”:”41122″,”width”:”1280″,”height”:”720″,”stickyDirection”:”below”,”playlist”:”21904″,”slide_inposition”:” .widget_tpd_ad_widget_sticky”}});

Featured Stories

Research shows that the post Weight, depression, diet linked to number of siblings and their gender appeared first on TheGrio.