Parental body mass index and offspring childhood body size and eating behaviour: A structural equation modelling analysis in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study

The study examined whether the relationship between parental body mass index and children's body weight is caused by genetic factors or direct effects of parental obesity. The research included 85,866 children from the Norwegian population born between 1999 and 2009. Maternal body mass index was more strongly associated with birth weight than paternal body mass index. Genetic factors explained 79% of the association between maternal body mass index and BMI in eight-year-old children and 94% of the association with paternal body mass index. The results suggest that most of the relationship between parental and children's body weight is caused by genetic inheritance rather than direct effects of parental obesity on childhood obesity development.