By Maria Cendejas

Wednesday Dec 28, 2011 (foodconsumer.org) -- A study has found that the quality of a mother's relationship with her child could affect the child's weight in adolescence, according to Los Angeles Times.

The report was based on a observation on how mothers interact with their children when they were 15, 24, and 36 months old, then they followed up with the same kids when they turned 15 to check levels of obesity.  The study involved 977 children.

Researchers focused on two aspects of the relationship: attachment security (how children are aware that their mother is a base of security and a comforting presence in times of stress), and maternal sensitivity (a mother's awareness of her child's emotional state and her ability to be comforting and warm). It was rated on a 6 point scale, scores of 3 or greater indicating an emotional relationship of poor quality.

The worse the child-mother relationship is, the greater the chances are for the child to become obese by age 15.  Among the children, 24.7% had an conflicting relationship with their mothers, scoring 3 points or higher. Having low maternal sensitivity, insecure attachment and both together were linked with a greater chance of being obese in adolescence.

Obesity prevalence in teen years was 26.1% among those with a score of 3 or greater. This is compared to 15.5% among those with a scored two points and 12.1% among those with a score of one, and 13% among those with a score of zero.

When the researchers controlled birth weight and gender, they discovered that children who had the worst relationships with their mothers were 2.45 timed as likely to become obese as those with the best relationships.

The researchers believe that good or bad relationship bonds early on could affect how the child reacts to stress (like overeating or having poor quality sleep.)

"Sensitive parenting increases the likelihood that a child will have a secure pattern of attachment and develop a healthy response to stress. A well-regulated stress response could in turn influence how well children sleep and whether they eat in response to emotional distress. Just two factors that affect the likelihood for obesity," said lead author Sarah Anderson of Ohio State University in a news release.

Anderson, assistant professor of epidemiology, stopped short of blaming mothers for having an effect on their children's weight. 

"It is possible that childhood obesity could be influenced by interventions that try to improve the emotional bonds between mothers and children rather than focusing only on children's food intake and activity," she said.

The study report was published in the January 2012 issue of Journal Pediatrics.