Fat dad, fat kids

Researchers have found that children with fat fathers have a higher risk of growing up to be obese themselves.

The University of Newcastle study found that a child with an obese father is four times more likely to be obese by the age of eight or nine than a child with a healthy father. This correlation is not found with overweight mothers, however.

"We think it's most likely to be because dads are being models of poor eating and exercise," lead researcher Dr Freeman said. The next step will be a pilot program in NSW's Hunter Valley to see what happens to the children of fathers who manage to lose their excess fat.

The study has been published online in the International Journal of Obesity.