A new survey by the American Dietetic Association Foundation shows parents have more potential to influence their children's behavior, including their eating habits, than anyone else.
For younger children -- ages 8 to 12 -- and older kids -- 13 to 17 -- parents outranked sports celebrities as the person the child "would like to be most," according to the ADA Foundation's first Family Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, which asked a nationally representative sample of 1,230 parents and children asked about their attitudes and behavior regarding weight, eating habits and physical activity.
Children ages 8 to 12 said their top role models were:* mother (23 percent)* father (17.4 percent)* unsure or no role model (13.2 percent)* sports celebrity (8.3).
For 13-to-17-year-olds, the top responses were:
* mother (13.8 percent)* unsure/no one (13.4 percent)* sports celebrity (11.9 percent)* father (11.3 percent).
Music celebrities and actors and actresses also were named as role models. Boys were more likely to identify their father as a role model, while girls more often selected their mother.
"These findings underscore the importance of a parent's involvement in helping their children make good choices in life, including dietary choices," said registered dietitian and American Dietetic Association spokesperson Sheah Rarback.
"Research has found strong links especially between the food mothers eat and the choices made by their children. And children's eating behaviors are influenced by such family-related factors as the number of meals eaten together. By eating healthy foods themselves and making sure to offer them to their children, parents can give their kids opportunities to learn to like a variety of nutritious foods," Rarback said.
Rarback noted that the number of children in the survey who cited any role model decreased as the children got older. "This is more evidence that, as parents, we need to positively affect our children's development and behaviors at an early age, when our influence is the greatest," Rarback said.
The ADAF Family Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey was funded by a grant made in memory of registered dietitian Allene G. Vaden, past president-elect of the American Dietetic Association.
The American Dietetic Association Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Dietetic Association. It is a 501-c-3 charity devoted exclusively to nutrition and dietetics. The Foundation funds scholarships and awards, public awareness and research projects and ADA strategic initiatives that promote optimal nutrition, health and well-being of the public. It is the largest provider of scholarships and awards in the field of dietetics. Visit ADAF at http://www.adaf.org.
With nearly 70,000 members, the American Dietetic Association is the nation's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. The Chicago-based ADA serves the public by promoting optimal nutrition, health and well-being. Visit ADA at http://www.eatright.org.
Editor's note: Survey results are based on telephone interviews and online questionnaires with a nationally representative sample of 1,230 parents and children (615 pairs) conducted in January 2003 by Pursuant, Inc. The survey has a confidence interval of plus-or-minus 4 percent in 95 out of 100 cases.
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