Boosting parent-child relationships leads to increased wellbeing

New research published in PLOS ONE has shown that improving the relationship between parents and their toddlers can reduce household chaos and may improve sleep patterns in children.

The 2-arm randomised controlled pilot study was conducted to trial a new six-week parenting program, which aims to promote healthy lifestyle behaviours, with the overall goal of preventing childhood obesity in children aged between two and four years.

The authors conclude that while the relational approach of their program has the potential to improve a number of measures of household wellbeing and that it’s an approach that “appears promising as a novel way to promote healthy lifestyle behaviours”, more research is needed to confirm if the results are statistically significant.

“A larger study is warranted,” say the authors.

To read the study, visit: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0238977