India, March 11 -- In recent years, rates of childhood obesity have been rising, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimating in 2024 that approximately one in five children and adolescents met the clinical definition of obese.

But preventing childhood obesity is a complex undertaking. While encouraging a healthy diet and adequate exercise have long been two strategies for reducing risk of obesity in children, Yale researchers have recently identified a crucial third: lowering parent stress.

A research team led by Yale psychologist Rajita Sinha has found that reducing parent stress can help prevent childhood obesity in their young children, as per Yale University website.

The new study's results are published in the journal Ped...