Parents' Work Schedule Has Direct Influence on Children's Eating Behavior

First Posted: Aug 20, 2014 02:53 AM EDT
Close

The way parents balance their work schedules directly affects the eating habits of their adolescent children, a new study reveals.  

Led by Penn State researchers, the finding is based on the evaluation of 16,991 adolescents who were part of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. They found a strong relation between how parents juggle work hours and their children's weight.

According to Molly Martin, the associate professor of sociology and demography, the work schedules may be more crucial than the number of hours parents spend at work.

They noticed that when parents spend more time at home, mainly during breakfast and dinner, their adolescent children develop healthy eating habits and in a few cases they even develop better exercise habits than other adolescents. Children consuming regular meals at home are less likely to suffer from any weight problems.

"Eating at home can help control portion sizes, for example, and if they don't eat breakfast at home, they might be more likely to eat junk food later in the day," she said.

Parents should note that they need to instil in their children the habit of eating breakfast regularly as it offers long-term health benefits. 

"Most parents might not consider eating breakfast as a health-related behavior, but it is one of the most important meals that help kids maintain metabolism throughout the day," Martin said. She added, "Children, particularly daughters, who watch their parents skip breakfasts may be more likely to do the same."

It's just the mothers, but also the father's presence at home plays a key role in influencing healthy weight behaviors. In their presence children are more likely to consume fruits. Their presence also predicted whether or not their children would engage in sports or exercise.

When compared to a few decades ago, it is seen that currently parents spend more valuable time with their children at home. A shift in priorities has been noticed - from spending time on household chores to utilizing that time by being with their children. These changes in has made direct impact on the eating behavior of their children.

"It's probably not an entirely conscious decision parents make to spend time with their children to improve their children's eating habits," Martin said. "Parents want to spend time with their children and are feeling more of a societal push to do so, so they often choose times around their work schedules and their children's school hours."

The finding was reported at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.

See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone

©2017 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics