We explored the influence of family environment, and in particular, the influence of the type of relations established between family members on children's eating behavior and their overweight. A sample of 147 children, with ages between 8 and 12, of all weight classes, completed the Family Relationship subscale of the Family Environmental Scale (FES). Their main caretaker completed the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ). Parents' Body Mass Index (BMI), by itself, was found to be a weak predictor of children's weight. Family relationship emerged consistently as highly determinant on children's eating behaviors and in families with dysfunctional structures children manifested a greater tendency to behaviors related to attraction to food, regardless of their parent's weight.
family relationship; eating behaviors; overweight
