Parents who use tasty treats like doughnuts and soft drinks as a reward for good behaviour may be setting their toddlers up with an unhealthy relationship with food.
New research out of the UK has found that children were far more likely to "emotionally eat" at age seven if they were rewarded with food as a toddler.
Emotional eating has been previously demonstrated to be a key factor in rising obesity levels, as people look to "self-medicate" with food in times of great stress or anxiety.
It's estimated that as many as 90 percent of people wanting to lose weight overlook the importance that their emotional connection to food plays.
The research was carried out by Dr Claire Farrow, a senior lecturer in psychology who explores the connections our emotions have to high-calorie, tasty treats.
“As a parent, there is often a natural instinct to try and protect our young children from eating ‘bad’ foods: those high in fat, sugar or salt. Instead we often use these food types as a treat or a reward, or even as a response to ease pain if children are upset," explains Farrow.
"The evidence from our initial research shows that in doing this, we may be teaching children to use these foods to cope with their different emotions, and in turn unintentionally teaching them to emotionally eat later in life."
To reach her conclusion, Farrow and her colleagues from Aston, Loughborough and Birmingham universities looked at a longitudinal study carried out on the eating habits of parents and children in the early stages of their development.
The study surveyed parents of children aged three to five, and noted how common it was to reward – or discipline – young children with food-based practices. They also cross-analysed using food as a reward with parents who used things like toys or activities as rewards.
After following up with the same parents some years later, the researchers found those who were rewarded with food as a toddler were far more likely to "emotionally eat" as a growing child, even when they weren't hungry.
It’s a finding that Farrow believes doesn’t just impact the weight of children, but of adults too.
"Eating patterns can usually be tracked across life, so those who learn to use food as a tool to deal with emotional distress early are much more likely to follow a similar pattern of eating later on in adult life," says Farrow.
"Often when people 'emotionally eat' they are using high calorie, high fat, energy dense foods which are not conducive to health."
Here in Australia, it's estimated that over the past decade, the number of overweight or obese children has doubled in size.
At the current rate of growth, it’s predicted that 65 percent of young Australians will be overweight or obese by the year 2020.RELATED: Here's how your personality affects what you eat