Children rated as 'difficult' by their parents are almost three times more likely to be overweight than those who are not so perceived by their parents. Normal weight children who start out as troublesome are more likely to become obese. This is probably because by being unrestrained in their eating, children try to compensate for the lack of contact with their parents.

The study was carried out on a group of 755 mothers and their offspring aged between 8 and 11 years.