Effects Of Parental Feeding Practices On Children 's Eating Behaviour

In these circumstances, when parents attempt to limit children’s ingestion of these foods, they may be inadvertently be reinforcing the children’s desire to consume these unhealthy nutriments (Birch & Fisher, 1998). Other investigators have concluded that when parents leave food selection to the preference of the child, the children often choose a sizable quantity of food of meager nutritional value (Klesges, Stein, Eck, Isbell, & Klesges, 1991).

Parents continuously make choices for their children. Every day, they decide what the child will wear, what shows they watch, what time they go to bed, what they will eat, and so much more. When grocery shopping in the store, parents have to make conscious purchases in order to maximize their budget (Krukowski, West, Harvey-Berino, & Prewitt, 2010). These decisions will influence whether the family can afford a two-dollar box of Macaroni and Cheese, opposed to fifteen-dollars’ worth of items to create a salad. How will these decisions affect childhood obesity? The answer is simple; it will affect a child. Young children and even adults need a mixture of fruits, vegetables, protein, grains, and dairy on every plate in order to consume a healthy diet (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2017).

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in America. "the percentage of obese children doubling from 6.5% in 1980, to 17.0% in 2006. Weight, nutrition, and physical activity are the main components to a child’s overall health.”(1) “When parents become too busy to cook meals in their homes, children learn poor eating habits and develop into unhealthy eaters.”(1) They will take what they learned at home and apply it to anywhere else that they eat. For example a child that drinks milk at dinner and sits with their family at dinner when asked what they want to drink when they are at a friend’s home will ask for milk because the child would associate milk with dinner. Children cannot make healthy choices of their own they need to be guided so

Eating a well balanced meal is crucial for someone in their early childhood stage. During this time period, between the ages of two and six, a well-nourished child can grow up to three inches and gain up to four and a half pounds per year (Berger, 2010). Children at this age also need fewer calories per pound of body weight than infants do. Since children need less food than they did before and many do not diminish the intake of their food consumed, obesity becomes a problem. The article “Child and adolescent obesity: a part of a bigger picture” states, “The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has risen substantially worldwide in less than one generation” (Lobstein, 2015). Obesity is a main factor that is present and can lead to other diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. The article also states that, “The food industry has a special interest in targeting children. Not only can the companies influence children’s immediate dietary preferences, but they can also benefit from building taste preferences and brand loyalty early in life, which last into adulthood” (Lobstein, 2015). Once children are hooked on the foods they eat during their childhood, they tend to follow those habits as they grow up. Children in low-income families are vulnerable to obesity because they rely on cheap fast food.

Parents influence children 's eating behaviors because they choose food choices for their families, serve as models, and reinforce eating patterns. Parenting practices are also influenced by the child’s traits like, age, gender, weight status, and eating behavior. It is influenced by the age because as the child gets older, their image of themselves change. Parents and children affect and react to each others eating behavior. Although the parent selects food choices for there family, the FITS study suggests that “bigger is better” when it comes to food. The portion size and energy density

Eating habits are developed from the first couple of years of a child’s life, and parents must be sure to implement a well-balanced diet so that their children get the sufficient amount of nutrients that our bodies require. Other studies conducted by CDC.gov suggest that if parent consume fruits and vegetables around their children’s, chances are that the children will adopt the healthy way of eating from their parents and their chances of becoming overweight or obese decrease.

Maria’s family-related experiences learned during her childhood contributed to a distorted cognition of eating. Maria’s family food-related experiences are associated with her mother’s restriction of eating as a way of punishment. Use of food as a punishment increases the intake of food when the children have access to it. As consequence of this type of punishment Maria learned maladaptive attitudes and behaviors such as eating secretly and keeping food in hidden places in order to manage her hunger. Researches propose that food restrictions increase desire and intake of the food. At the same time the individual will show difficulties to self-regulate the food

Many individuals do not realize it, but obesity has become a huge epidemic in today’s society. Individuals tend to ignore the growing unhealthy products around them; instead of questioning why people are gaining weight so rapidly, they enjoy the unhealthy and unsuitable substances that they are putting in their body. Some eat whatever they can find, and since they are in a certain predicaments, they have no choice but, end up doing the same thing to their children. Many have not seen it yet, but parents are feeding their children unhealthy substances. The nutrients that they are feeding them are unhealthy, and since children do not know any better, they cannot disagree with what is being provided to them, nor can they tell whether they have had enough or not. In an article “Too Much of a Good Thing” by Greg Critser. He explains how parents are partially to blame for their children 's obesity and also their children 's environments. Critser uses statistic, biological experiments, and comparisons show how child obesity has become a great problem in today’s society and that parents have much to do with it.

Have you ever been grocery shopping and witness a family with a cart full of junk food, sugar-sweetened sodas and microwavable dinners? These things are bought because they are a quick fix for parents having to cook for their children which creates unhealthy eating habits. Research suggest that children develop most of their food habits through exposure and repeated experiences. Studies also show that eating dinner together as a family promotes healthful eating habits in children by increasing their consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as well as decreasing the consumption of fats. Establishing a meal time increases the likelihood that children are getting a notorious and balanced diet (M.W Gillman 235:40.) Parents play a crucial role in the growth and development in children, if children see that their parents sit at home and eat unhealthy snacks, children cannot be expected to eat

To please their screaming unruly children, parents will do whatever they say, even if it means buying them an extra fry at a fast food restaurant, or a few sandwiches. Most “parents know that such meals are unhealthy, they are struggling in a “toxic environment” with little support or recognition for the challenges of raising children in such a world”(Purcell 3). In an environment without support, you are just going to keep on falling.

One of the causes of the amplified rate of obesity in children is because of their poor diet. Many children are eating more fast food, junk food, and over processed meals and are not eating enough healthy meals. This can easily lead a child to obesity. Nevertheless, with numerous parents’ having a low income and schedules that are crammed full, many are opting for fast food or cheaper grocery options as an alternative to making healthy meals with nutritional ingredients. Fast food and less hearty meals can also result in getting hungry quicker, making it necessary for children to have a snack or another meal in just a couple of hours. Furthermore, parents’ should recognize that their children need healthy meals instead of opting for less nutritional alternatives. Ensuring that their children are eating healthy and are not accumulating too many calories can help parents’ combat the increasing rate of obesity

One of the toughest things parents have to face every day is getting their children to eat right at the dinner table. Breakfast, lunchtime, and dinnertime to some families can be stressful times of the day because the parents and the children just cannot seem to agree on what the children should eat, why they should eat it, how much they should eat, and when they should eat. Many parents know what their children should eat, but just do not know how to get their children to actually eat them. In the book, It 's Not About the Broccoli: Three Habits to Teach Your Kids for a Lifetime of Healthy Eating, Dina Rose insists that the only way to get children to eat what you want them to eat is to move away from the nutrition mindset—that is solely

Foods and their nutrients are essential to life. In the beginning years of life an infant’s nutritional health depends on the family unit. Parents must have knowledge of the changing food needs of the child and must also have sufficient resources to provide food, shelter, and clothing for the family. Equally important, parents create the cultural and psychological environment that influences the

It is no secret that children learn their first eating habits from home. For the parents who

“Parental behavioral patterns concerning shopping, cooking, eating and exercise have an important influence on a child’s energy, balance and ultimately their weight” said diet specialist, Anne Collins (“Childhood Obesity Facts”). Childhood obesity has more than tripled since the 1980’s (“Childhood Obesity Facts”). Childhood obesity often leads to obesity as an adult which can put a person at greater risks dealing with the heart, diabetes, and many other obese related diseases. People want to blame the schools and today’s technology for childhood obesity, in reality, the responsibility lies in the hands of their parents.