For a teenager, buying your first car is a huge deal. It's your first big step towards independence.
But parents dread the day. Most teens are dopey, so who knows what could happen with a 17 year old piloting a ton of metal, traveling at 60 miles per hour.
And a new study takes a unique look at that parent-first car connection. Parents are less willing to give their child money to buy a car, if the kid is overweight or obese.
It's a weird premise for a study, but it puts a spotlight on discrimination against fat people; something already very prevalent in our society.
Published in the journal Obesity, researchers surveyed 379 college students, ages 17 to 26, finding 82 kids purchased cars on their own, 39% of them were overweight or obese, compared to only 18% of the 297 students who received help from their family.
Results also showed students who bought cars on their own had a higher body mass index (BMI), than kids getting help from their folks. Average BMI for the fat students was 25. It was 23 for kids whose parents helped them out.
A BMI of 25 or above is considered overweight, and anything higher than 30 is categorized as obese.
I thought family income might explain the parents' cheapness, just a weird coincidence among the overweight students, but the researchers say family income did not explain the link between BMI and financial help.
It's got to be tough being a fat teenager. I'm sure lots of kids pick on you in school, but when your parents are jerks too, that's got to doubly suck.
I wasn't a fat kid, but I didn't get much help buying my first car either. My old man came with me, and even with his "guidance" I still ended up getting a 1990 Pontiac Grand Am, that broke 15 minutes after I drove it off the lot. Thanks dad.
Image credit: Comedy Central
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