Teenage Obesity: Learned Behavior from Parents?

As a parent, you are a role model for your children, whether it is for guidance to walk, talk or to eat. Children watch and learn from their parents. If a parent prefers to stop at the nearest fast food restaurant and grab a quick burger, then children will more than likely develop these same habits. It seems these fast food pit stops and unhealthy eating habits are acquired by children from their parents, and consequently leading to many teenage obesity problems.

While a child is young, they learn what, when, and the quantity to eat, based on their family's culture, personality, beliefs, and practices involving food and eating habits. Positive experiences regarding food during early childhood are the key to developing healthy eating habits. Researchers with the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research released their new policy brief this week, “Teen Dietary Habits Related to Those of Parents,” which found adolescents are more likely to eat the doctors recommended five servings of fruit and veggies if their parents do. However, they will also adopt their parent’s bad habits.

If a parent’s habits are to eat greasy burgers and fries from the nearest fast food joint, their children will be more likely to do the same. Whether it is good or bad, eating habits seem to start at home. Based on the newly released study, results showed that in California 62 percent of kids are drinking soda or soft drinks, and 43 percent are eating fast food, while 38 percent of the kids are eating the recommended five servings of fruit and veggies. The large percentage of unhealthy eaters is most likely a contributing factor to the nearly 30 percent of California teens are overweight or obese.

The policy brief evaluated data gathered during the nation’s largest state health survey, from thousands of California’s teenagers, who were questioned by the Center-administered California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). The data showed that teens with parents who drink soda daily were almost 40 percent more likely to do the same, compared to teenagers whose parents steered clear of the daily shot of caffeine from soda. Teens with parents who eat the recommended five servings of fruit and veggies are 16 percent more likely to do so as well, compared to those teenagers who do not eat five servings daily. Almost 50 percent of parents who drink sodas daily also eat fast food at least once a day. On the other hand, only 39 percent of teenagers with parents who avoid daily soft drinks eat fast food at least once a day. Nearly half of the teens with parents not eating five servings of fruits and veggies eat fast food at least once a day. The percentage drops to 39 percent of teens with parents eating fruits and veggies, who also eat fast food at least once a day.

With the fast pace of the evolving world, and more working families, parents must get creative and plan for family meals better, while avoiding the easy, but not-so-healthy fast food stops. While grocery shopping may be cumbersome at times, it can save a family a lot of heartache about health concerns and actually enrich the family through family bonding meals, as well as the more nutritional aspect. The authors feel educating parents about unhealthy food choices, and helping them to plan and prepare healthier meals for their families may be the key to sidelining teen obesity for the most part. They also recommend employers helping families by allowing employees more flexible schedules, to allow more time to prepare healthier meals, which has also been linked to healthier lifestyles.

Dr. Robert K. Ross, president and chief executive officer of the California Endowment, said, “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 low-income communities.” Though parents are the primary role model for children and a parent’s behavior can essentially influence a child’s health, it is also key that local officials representing less fortunate communities work to make fruits and vegetables, along with other healthy foods, more readily available.

One of the keys to avoiding teen obesity is starting good eating habits at home. Parents must realize the consequences and influences they make on their children’s future and habits through their own actions. Children are like clay ready to be molded. They just need some healthy guidance. Parents remember your children are watching you and looking for your guidance. They will eat what you provide them. Try to give your children a good step into life with healthy, nutritious meals. Incorporate fruits and vegetables daily, and layoff the fast food and sodas. It could help your child lead a much healthier and prosperous life.