A new study released in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine has found that children increase their consumption of fruit and vegetables when parents eat more themselves, the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBHF) has reported.
The survey, covering 1,300 families in the US between 2001-2006, also suggested that providing parents with nutrition education during the early stages of parenting could help address the problem of childhood obesity, according to project researchers.
'We have always known that parents have a tremendous influence on their children, particularly concerning what they eat,' said Elizabeth Pivonka, president and CEO of PBHF. 'This study demonstrates that this influence extends from just making fruit and vegetables available for their children to modelling a healthy diet.'
The study involved parents enrolling in programmes teaching parenting skills through home visits and other activities, with around half of these parents enrolled in the High 5 for Kids scheme, learning about nutrition and tactics for getting their children to eat more fresh produce.
At the conclusion of the study researchers found that parents in the High 5 for Kids group had increased their own fruit and vegetable intake, with their children's intake increasing in correlation.
'When parents eat more high-calorie, low-nutrient content foods and snacks and consume lots of sugary drinks, so do their children,' Ms Pivonka added. 'When parents eat and give their children fruit and vegetables, children learn these healthier eating patterns instead.'
The Produce for Better Health Foundation is a non-profit consumer education foundation, whose purpose is to motivate more people to eat fruit and vegetables to improve public health.
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