Parent Diet Quality and Energy Intake Are Related to Child Diet Quality and Energy Intake

-


Parent Diet Quality and Energy Intake Are Related to Child Diet Quality and Energy Intake

Robson, S. M., Couch, S. C., Peugh, J. L., Glanz, K., Zhou, C., Sallis, J. F., & Saelens, B. E. (2016). Parent Diet Quality and Energy Intake Are Related to Child Diet Quality and Energy Intake. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(6), 984-990.


The purpose of this study was to build on previous research to evaluate eating behaviors that
children adopt from their environment and observational learning. “Usual intakes from 2007 to
2010 demonstrated that the majority of children were not meeting recommendations for fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, and dairy. In fact, children were consuming large quantities of energy
from dietary components targeted for reduction, such as added sugars and solid fats” (Robson,

Couch, Peugh, Glanz, Sallis, & Saelens, p. 984, 2016).


This was a longitudinal cohort study conducted from September 2007 to January 2009 with
samples from both Washington and California. Parent -child dyads were recruited based on
neighborhood type and three types of physical activity level/nutrition environments; in addition,
those recruited had no medical conditions or chronic illnesses associated with obesity.
Six hundred and ninety-eight (n = 698) parent-child dyads participated in this study and written
consent was obtained (Robson, et al., 2016).

Multilinear regression models investigated if parent diet quality and energy intake predicted           the child diet quality and energy intake. Control for parent and child characteristic, household education, and neighborhood type prior to the regression analysis.

Parent diet quality significantly predicted child diet quality.
“Parent energy explained 9.2% of the variance in children’s energy intake independent of the other factors in the model, with the full model also including demographics and neighborhood type, accounting for 21% of child intake variance” (Robson, et al., p. 987, 2016). This supports the findings indicating that parent diet quality variables showed persistency as the strongest independent predictor.

As previously mentioned children are not meeting the recommended dietary guidelines, which has been linked to children that are overweight and obese. Children follow by example and parents have a key responsibly, which is feeding their children. The current study investigated and confirmed the association and influence that the quality of a parent’s diet has on the diet of their children. This study is a good starting point for future research on this topic for measures of intervention.


MA


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Are All Sugars Created Equal?

-
Image
Are All Sugars Created Equal?  I think one of the most confusing nutrition topics for people is sugar. With so many conflicting stories out there, it’s difficult to separate the facts from the fiction. Not to mention, the types of sugars are endless. How do we know what’s best for our bodies? White or brown sugar? Cane or raw? Should we just go with Stevia instead? Is it even okay to consume artificial sweeteners? Should we avoid foods with high amounts of natural sugar in them? Each answer only seems to lead to another question!  Let’s start off with distinguishing the purpose of sugar in the first place. Do our bodies even need it? The short answer is yes! Sugars are carbohydrates (what we commonly call “carbs”), one of the three main macronutrients that our bodies need for fuel to function and survive. One of the major ways to categorize sugar is by separating the “natural” sugars from the “added” sugars. Natural sugars are, well, naturally found in foods. They give us the energy th
Read more

Milk Mythbusters

-
Image
Just like with any nutrition topic, the facts about milk can become convoluted pretty quickly. Whether you drink milk for the protein, the nutrients, the flavor, or just like to switch it up, there are pros and cons to every kind. Here are some quick nutritional facts about each type to help you decide which is best for you. Animal-Based Milks  Whole Milk: The original diary drink. It gets a bad rap, but what whole milk has going for it, is that it’s in its proper nutritional form. Whole milk contains all of its original fat-soluble vitamins, A, E, D, & K, along with the fat to help you absorb them all. It also has the proper concentrations and ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids, or your omega-3s and omega-6s, so that they are metabolized as they should be. The downside is that whole milk is calorically dense, meaning that a little goes a long way. You don’t need much to get what you need, so just don’t overdo it!  2% Milk: The fat content of 2% milk is about half of that in who
Read more