In a recent study, researchers at the University of Minnesota found making healthy food available at home can increase the fruit and vegetable intake among adolescents.
Understanding that parents have the ability to influence their children’s dietary intake, Katie Loth, Ph.D., M.P.H., lead author from the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and colleagues from Project EAT, looked at three factors (home food availability, parenting modeling and food restriction) to determine which aspects of the family eating environment were most consistently associated with a healthy dietary intake.
“The goal of this research project was to extend the understanding of how these different aspects of the family eating environment work together to impact markers of adolescent dietary intake,” said Loth.
Among the three factors considered in the research, the study revealed:
- Adolescents exposed to unhealthy food at home and high food restriction consumed the most servings of sugar-sweetened beverages daily.
- Fruit and vegetable consumption was the highest among adolescents whose homes had available healthy food.
- Adolescents with healthy food available at home, positive parenting modeling and low food restriction consumed the lowest amount of sugar-sweetened beverages.
- Daily consumption of snack food was the lowest when healthy food was available at home and parenting modeling was positive with low food restriction.
“Results from this investigation indicate that, among the three aspects of the family eating environment explored, the provision of a home healthy food environment was most consistently associated with markers of a healthy dietary intake in adolescents,” said Loth.
Loth encourages parents to help their adolescents by making healthy choices the easiest choices to make when they are at home.
“The findings from this study really emphasize the importance of making healthy food readily available at home,” said Loth. “By placing a bowl of fruit on your kitchen counter, or washed and cut-up vegetables within easy reach in your refrigerator, you can help make the choice to select these foods as snacks easier for your teen.”
The post Research snapshot: Healthy food availability at home can increase healthy decisions among adolescents appeared first on Health Talk.