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The Parent Trap 'Practice what you preach' is a tried-and-true motto when it comes to teaching your kids good eating habits 
If you ever wonder why your kids are having a hard time staying away from fast food and soda, the answer may be staring you in the face. If you look in a mirror, that is. A new study in California has found that teens whose parents eat fast food or drink soda are more likely to do the same. At the same time, adolescents are more likely to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day if their parents do. The study, conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, examined responses from thousands of teenagers queried in the 2005 California Health Interview Survey. "I think a lot of people have presupposed for a long time that parental modeling does affect childhood behaviors," says Dr. Allison Diamant, one of the authors of the UCLA study. "One of the key findings from the study is if we can change parental behavior, we have a good chance of changing teen and adolescent behavior." Among the findings: - Teens whose parents drink soda everyday are nearly 40 percent more likely to drink soda everyday themselves than teens whose parents do not drink soda. - Teens whose parents eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily are 16 percent more likely to do the same than teens whose parents do not eat five-a-day. - Nearly half of adolescents (48 percent) whose parents drink soda every day eat fast food at least once per day. Whereas only 39 percent of teens whose parents do not drink soda eat fast food at least once per day. - 45 percent of teens with parents who do not eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily eat fast food at least once per day. Whereas only 39 percent of teens with parents that eat five a day eat fast food at least once a day. The UCLA study is important, experts say, in helping to identify causes and prevention of teenage obesity, which is reaching epidemic proportions across the nation. In California alone, nearly one out of three (30 percent) teens are overweight or obese. Poor dietary habits, along with environmental and other factors, are strongly linked to obesity. "The research shows us that one of the keys to solving the teen obesity crisis starts with parents, but we must also improve the abysmal food environments in many low-income communities," said Robert K. Ross, M.D., president and CEO of The California Endowment in Los Angeles, which funded the UCLA study. "While parents are the primary role models for their children and their behavior can positively - or negatively - influence their children's health, it is also essential that local officials representing low-income communities work to expand access to fruits, vegetables and other healthful foods." "Hectic schedules make finding time to shop, prepare and getting the whole family together to sit down to a healthy home-cooked meal seem impossible," adds Mary Lou Gavin, M.D., medical editor for KidsHealth.org and a pediatrician at the duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del. "Economic issues may also come into play. The perception is that "healthy food" is just too expensive. Certainly, if parents have not learned to eat healthy themselves, it's hard to instill healthy eating behaviors in their children - it's hard to change habits that have become established." Gavin and Diamant each offered a few of the following suggestions for parents who want to break unhealthy dietary habits for themselves - and their kids: - Have a healthy home food environment. - Include children in planning, shopping, and preparation of meals. - Have regular family meals - kids who eat with their families have lower levels of obesity. - Be a role model and eat healthy yourself. - Schedule regular meals and snacks - don't skip meals. - Explain food choices to your children. - Remember to eat in moderation - you don't have to eat everything on your plate. |
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