Almost all parents (97 percent) agree that healthy diet plans are important during childhood, according to a new poll. However, only a third of those who have children between the ages of four and 18 are confident that they promote correct dietary habits for their kids.
The poll was conducted by researchers as part of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health, and published by specialists from the University of Michigan.
Kids' Healthy Diet, A Problem Of Many Parents
According to the poll report, parents face a series of challenges when it comes to educating their children to eat healthily. The most common reasons include the cost of healthy food (mentioned by 70 percent of the respondents), the fact that kids don't like the taste of healthy food (mentioned by 60 percent of the respondents), and inconvenience (accounting for 52 percent of the responses).
"Frustration ensues when parents spend additional dollars to buy healthy foods, only to have children refuse to eat them. The tension between buying foods children like, and buying foods that are healthy, is an everyday struggle for many families," noted the press release.
Additionally, 48 percent of the parents find it difficult to assess which foods are truly healthy for the kids. Most of the parents who reported this problem come from families with lower income and educational levels. At the same time, 23 percent of the parents also noted that healthy foods are not available at the stores where they do shopping; these parents also come from low-income families with a lower educational background.
Most of the parents agree that healthy diet plans are important when it comes to their children. Almost a quarter of them, however, don't believe that they should limit the amount of fast and junk food their kids eat. Moreover, 16 percent of the subjects who were surveyed reported that it's somewhat or not important to restrict sugary drinks, while 13 percent believe that it's somewhat or not important for their kids to eat fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.
Childhood Obesity Rates
Childhood obesity is a serious issue in the United States. Despite the recent declines in preschool-aged children, many of them are still suffering from obesity, according to the CDC.
Based on the most recent data available — between 2011 and 2014 — 17 percent of children were obese, accounting for 12.7 million children and adolescents who suffer from this condition. The same data suggests that obesity disproportionally affects children from low-income families.
Among this age group, obesity rates were higher among Hispanics (21.9 percent) and non-Hispanic blacks (19.5 percent).
Additionally, a study conducted in 2016 by the Duke Clinical Research Institute in Durham, North Carolina, showed that more than 33 percent of the kids aged two to 19 are overweight, almost 25 percent are obese and two percent are severely obese.
"[...] if you change school lunch, and you increase opportunities for physical activity and you make it easier for parents to access healthier foods, then you start creating an environment that supports healthy weight," noted the led author of the research.
