An article published in The Washington Post in June, “When Fathers Are More involved Kids Obesity Rates may Go Down,” highlights on the tenets of the UnWeighted model: a balanced and thoughtful approach to one’s entire lifestyle and environment can positively shift health. The article shares that:
“Researchers examined how often fathers participated in parenting activities such as caregiving, making meals and playing outside, and how much they participated in decisions related to nutrition, health and discipline when the children were 2 and 4 years old.
Children were 30 percent less likely to be obese at age 4 if their fathers had increased their parenting time in the preceding two years than were those whose dads did not.
Each additional daily caregiving task that fathers handled — such as help with getting dressed, baths, brushing teeth and bedtime routines — was associated with an additional reduction in their child’s odds of becoming obese, the study found.
“It is possible that when fathers are more involved, the total amount of time both parents dedicate to child caregiving increases — it’s not just the mother providing care but the father as well,” said lead study author Michelle Wong of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.”
This study points to several of the more often overlooked factors potentially relevant in trying to improve one’s health: self-care, balance, enjoyment, attachment to positive activity and change. These findings could deduce that increased flexibility between parents, shared caretaking and decision making, among other factors, helps create an environment of positive health. The UnWeighted model reinforces this notion. It permits choice in flexibility and change in decision-making over a person’s lifetime. Just as seen within positive family frameworks, the UnWeighted model defines success as unique for each individual. Thus, when families create space for shared responsibility, shared positive change may occur.