by KYW’s Lynne Adkins

We know parents should not ignore their children.  Now we find neglect could ruin a toddler's health.

A study of 2,400 three-year-olds discovered that a parent's love and attention can keep a child's weight in check. Dr. Robert Whitaker, professor of public health at Temple University is the lead researcher:

“There was about a 50 percent increase in obesity for those children whose parents had reported a case of neglect in the past 12 months.”

He says this is the first study of its kind, so scientists can only speculate why there's an association:

“The children experience the neglect as a type of emotional distress, and in response the children change their eating or activity patterns.”

He admits more research is needed, but adds, this gives parents one more reason to savor quality time with their children.