“How Do You Stay so Thin?” Let’s Talk About What Determines Someone’s Weight
April 2024
Author:
Jennifer Anderson, MSPH, RDN
About Kids Eat in Color
Created by experts, Kids Eat in Color is the leading resource for families seeking evidence-based information and strategies on child nutrition and feeding.
Author:
Jennifer Anderson, MSPH, RDN
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How do you stay so thin?
This was an unexpected question from one of the weekly Q&As I hold on Instagram.
I had an answer, but I wasn’t sure it would be what was expected.
So, what determines someone’s weight? In this article, I discuss the top contributors of weight and answer why my weight is what it is.
Weight Stigma and Bias
First, it’s important to know that society is biased against people with higher weights and stigmatizes them from the playground to the health care system.
Weight stigma comes from the idea that a high weight is bad and people have a choice about how much they weigh.
The idea that one’s weight is just a personal choice is one of the most damaging ideas to public health around the world. It creates unending stigma and bias toward people of higher weights.
People often get mad when they hear this. They insist people are in control of their weight. They insist children’s weight should be controlled. This is, of course, what the diet and food industries would like people to think.
It’s always about weight, because we have a very deep seeded weight bias and stigma.
Factors that can determine someone’s weight
So, what does determine someone’s weight? Let’s get into it.
Genetics
Weight is about 40-70% genetic.
Economic Poverty
A person who has experienced economic poverty is more likely to have a higher weight.
Food Marketing to Children
Children exposed to more child-targeted food marketing are more likely to have a higher weight. Children and adults in under-resourced communities get twice as much food marketing.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Children with ACEs are more likely to have a higher weight. Here are some examples of ACEs:
Racism.
Food insecurity.
Family turmoil.
Abuse or violence.
Loss of a parent.
More Factors that Determine a Person’s Weight in Childhood and Beyond
While this list is not comprehensive, it does list many of the factors affecting weight.
Marketing of unhealthy foods. Under-resourced communities. Food insecurity. School environment. Lack of fresh food access. Fast food proximity. Access to safe physical activity. Environmental health. Parenting feeding style. Sugar-sweetened beverages. Polygenetic effects. Epigenetic effects. Depression. Birth weight. Maternal smoking. Rapid weight gain during infancy and early childhood. Early use of antibiotics. Endocrine disorders. Special healthcare needs. Snacking behavior. Dining out and family meals. Screen time. Autism spectrum disorder. Developmental and physical disabilities. Myelomeningocele. Sedentary behavior. Sleep duration. Environmental smoke exposure. Psychosocial stress. Adverse childhood experiences. Monogenetic syndromes. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Weight-promoting appetitive traits. Medication use (weight-promoting medications). (1)
Few of these are things that adults can control.
Arguably, a child cannot control any of these things.
It is Not Just the Individual
When the person asked me, “How do you stay so thin?” I think they expected to hear me say, “I diet, eat really well, and work out.”
The real answer is that my genetics, environment, resources, circumstances and a few personal choices have all worked together in a way to make my body what it is.
In a medical system where weight and BMI are now often the focal point of children’s health, the Kids Eat in Color team of specialists has a toolkit for parents who want to take a weight-neutral approach to their child’s health.
The better question is whether we can influence our health and our children’s health. The answer to that is “yes-ish.”
We eat, sleep, drink, move, and interact with people, we can help our children do the same. These are some of the pillars of health. If we do these things well, often for many people they lead to more health. They also seem to be personal choices.
But it’s not a personal choice to give yourself lead poisoning when your supposedly clean water has lead in it. It’s not a personal choice to sleep awfully when you have a newborn. It’s not a personal choice to not eat fruits and veggies when they aren’t available in your neighborhood. It’s not a personal choice to not be able to move when you have a broken leg or a disability.
So it’s true that we can affect our health and we also are not the only influencers of our health.
If you take anything from all of this, take a personal challenge to become more aware of and to work against weight stigma. Our obsession with weight is, ironically, bad for our health and our children’s health.
References
Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Obesity 2003. American Academy of Pediatrics. Pg. 17.
About Kids Eat in Color
Created by experts, Kids Eat in Color is the leading resource for families seeking evidence-based information and strategies on child nutrition and feeding.
Jennifer Anderson is a registered dietitian and has a masters of science in public health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. In 2019, she founded Kids Eat in Color®, a public health resource that improves child and family nutrition and mental health. Prior to starting Kids Eat in Color® she coordinated youth nutrition programs at a food bank, performed research in inner-city food deserts, and consulted for the USDA national office SNAP-Ed program. Her academic background is in public health nutrition, cultural anthropology, and economics.
How do you stay so thin?
This was an unexpected question from one of the weekly Q&As I hold on Instagram.
I had an answer, but I wasn’t sure it would be what was expected.
So, what determines someone’s weight? In this article, I discuss the top contributors of weight and answer why my weight is what it is.
Weight Stigma and Bias
First, it’s important to know that society is biased against people with higher weights and stigmatizes them from the playground to the health care system.
Weight stigma comes from the idea that a high weight is bad and people have a choice about how much they weigh.
The idea that one’s weight is just a personal choice is one of the most damaging ideas to public health around the world. It creates unending stigma and bias toward people of higher weights.
People often get mad when they hear this. They insist people are in control of their weight. They insist children’s weight should be controlled. This is, of course, what the diet and food industries would like people to think.
It’s always about weight, because we have a very deep seeded weight bias and stigma.
Factors that can determine someone’s weight
So, what does determine someone’s weight? Let’s get into it.
Genetics
Weight is about 40-70% genetic.
Economic Poverty
A person who has experienced economic poverty is more likely to have a higher weight.
Food Marketing to Children
Children exposed to more child-targeted food marketing are more likely to have a higher weight. Children and adults in under-resourced communities get twice as much food marketing.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Children with ACEs are more likely to have a higher weight. Here are some examples of ACEs:
More Factors that Determine a Person’s Weight in Childhood and Beyond
While this list is not comprehensive, it does list many of the factors affecting weight.
Marketing of unhealthy foods.
Under-resourced communities.
Food insecurity.
School environment.
Lack of fresh food access.
Fast food proximity.
Access to safe physical activity.
Environmental health.
Parenting feeding style.
Sugar-sweetened beverages.
Polygenetic effects.
Epigenetic effects.
Depression.
Birth weight.
Maternal smoking.
Rapid weight gain during infancy and early childhood.
Early use of antibiotics.
Endocrine disorders.
Special healthcare needs.
Snacking behavior.
Dining out and family meals.
Screen time.
Autism spectrum disorder.
Developmental and physical disabilities.
Myelomeningocele.
Sedentary behavior.
Sleep duration.
Environmental smoke exposure.
Psychosocial stress.
Adverse childhood experiences.
Monogenetic syndromes.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Weight-promoting appetitive traits.
Medication use (weight-promoting medications). (1)
Few of these are things that adults can control.
Arguably, a child cannot control any of these things.
It is Not Just the Individual
When the person asked me, “How do you stay so thin?” I think they expected to hear me say, “I diet, eat really well, and work out.”
The real answer is that my genetics, environment, resources, circumstances and a few personal choices have all worked together in a way to make my body what it is.
In a medical system where weight and BMI are now often the focal point of children’s health, the Kids Eat in Color team of specialists has a toolkit for parents who want to take a weight-neutral approach to their child’s health.
Visits – includes a free PDF for parents to fill out and bring to the appointment so that they are prepared to talk about their child’s health, not their weight.
Weight is Not the Same as Health
We think health equals weight. It’s just not.
The better question is whether we can influence our health and our children’s health. The answer to that is “yes-ish.”
We eat, sleep, drink, move, and interact with people, we can help our children do the same. These are some of the pillars of health. If we do these things well, often for many people they lead to more health. They also seem to be personal choices.
But it’s not a personal choice to give yourself lead poisoning when your supposedly clean water has lead in it. It’s not a personal choice to sleep awfully when you have a newborn. It’s not a personal choice to not eat fruits and veggies when they aren’t available in your neighborhood. It’s not a personal choice to not be able to move when you have a broken leg or a disability.
So it’s true that we can affect our health and we also are not the only influencers of our health.
If you take anything from all of this, take a personal challenge to become more aware of and to work against weight stigma. Our obsession with weight is, ironically, bad for our health and our children’s health.
References