You, Your Child, and the Issue of Body Image.

The media plays a big part in helping children form body image, but parents play an important role in teaching their children about the ideal body and having body satisfaction as well (Perryman, 2005). Brown & Ogden (2004) found that children express greater body dissatisfaction when their parents do, and they are more likely to develop unhealthy habits (such as eating disorders) if their parents are vocal about their own body dissatisfaction. Many other researchers have found that parents provide feedback to their children about their bodies and act as role models for determining body image. Parents can directly influence their children’s body images not just by what they do, but by what they say. Rogers and Chabrol (2009) found that verbal messages and active encouragement are more influential than modeling behavior alone.

Children are more likely to be sensitive toward direct comments, criticisms, or perceived attitudes about body weight and shape than when parents only model disordered or unhealthy attitudes (Brown & Ogden, 2004). For example, you can boost your child’s body image by modeling that you are comfortable in your own body, but it is even more effective to tell your child that she is beautiful just the way she is.
Refer to the community resources page for links to resources such as those at Women's Health, which target issues like specific approaches to nurture a healthy body image in your child, how to avoid perpetuating negative body image standards, and how and when to get help if you notice a problem.

What You Eat

Most people realize that what they eat affects their bodies and how healthy they are.  However, many people don't always realize that their children are watching what they eat - and imitating it even when they aren't at home.  If a parent consistently eats healthy foods, the child is more likely to choose healthy foods when given the option at school or in other settings (Brown & Ogden, 2004).

Furthermore, children are more likely to enjoy certain flavors in food if their parents like them, and they are much more likely to dislike a certain flavor if their parents do not like it (Wrotniak et al., 2005).  I have seen this in my own life; I do not like the taste of seafood, merely because my mom doesn't like it, so I never ate it as I grew up.

If a child and a parent are both trying to lose weight, the child is much more likely to be successful if the parent is as well (Wrotniak et al., 2005).  So if you have a child who wants to become healthier and lose a few pounds, the best way to help that child is to help yourself become healthier in the process!  Choose more fruits and vegetables at snacktime or at the dinner table, and encourage healthy eating.

A Call for Community Resources!

Hey Everyone!  Do YOU know of a resource in your community that would help others improve health or teach them more on how their health can influence the health of their child?  Make a comment and let us know so we can add it to our COMMUNITY RESOURCE Tab!

Time for Dinner!!!

Research shows that eating a family meal on a regular basis, at home, with the television off, has resulted in lower risky behaviors, better grades, better communication skills, more family satisfaction, better job outcomes and many other positive things (Larson et al. 2007; Eisenberg, 2004; Chan & Sobal, 2011; Hunt et al. 2011; Sen, 2010; Rothon et al. 2011).  Yet, despite all of these benefits to sitting a family down together to eat and discuss the happenings of each person’s life, the frequency of family meals is declining (Hunt et al., 2011).  Studies have also shown a direct link between the decline in family meals and the increasing childhood obesity epidemic.

How many family meals per week does YOUR family eat together?  If it is infrequent, you are not alone.  Hunt et al. recognize that the modern day family is getting busier, with many social pressures to put in extra hours at the office, have children in many extracurricular activities, have two working parents and so on.  With all of these demands on time, it seems almost impossible to fit in the hour or two it takes to prepare a homemade meal, sit down to eat, then clean up afterward.

This is when you should ask yourself what your priority is.  If you believe that the benefits of family mealtime outweigh the investment of sacred time when it comes to your children, then there are many things you can do to simplify or quickly gain cooking skills that will help make this priority a possibility.  Refer to our “Community Resources” tab to find links to cooking classes, recipe websites, YouTube videos, community child cooking programs and so forth.

The research shows the benefits associated with family mealtime.  I have shown you some possible ways you can make it happen even in your busy life.  Hopefully, you will now act upon this knowledge and increase the number of times you sit down with your family for a homemade meal.

(For more information on studies on family mealtimes, refer to our report on Parental Influence on Childhood Obesity Outcomes in the “Literature to Read” tab)

Exercise... Get around to it now.

Exercise isn't really anyone's favorite word, but neither is work, and both have to be done in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Buying healthy food is a great way to start down the road to losing weight, or even just maintaining a healthy weight, but it isn't enough.

Mayo Clinic has a lot of great suggestions for ways to help your child, many of which concern physical activity.  I think the most important point it has is that you shouldn't expect your child to do something that you are not willing to do.  If you expect your child to exercise so that they can be healthy, you better make sure you're being healthy and exercising too.

Another major point is that exercise doesn't have to be called exercise.  Lots of kids love to play tag, go swimming, walk with their parents, or go bowling--exercise doesn't have to be a chore.  A walk is a great way to get outside and bond at the same time.  It's really okay to have fun and be healthy at the same time!

Check out the link! There is a ton of helpful information (about childhood obesity in general, not just exercise), and a lot of good suggestions.  It's a great place to go if you have questions.

Welcome!

A special welcome to all of the new readership coming to check out this Parental Health Influence blog! Most of you have seen our Health Campaign and are curious to learn more about the extent to which parents influence their child's health risk, perception and outcomes.

This campaign began as a class assignment, but has led to a strong desire to get our findings out to the public.  So here we are, creating and updating a blog that is specially designed to get information out about how parents ARE - and how they CAN - influence their children's health.  Here, we recognize that the Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree, so we are committed to doing all we can to help you build a healthier you and healthier offspring.

We also try to provide information about, and links to, different community resources that can be utilized to help improve health outcomes for YOU and YOUR child.

So feel free to explore, comment, share your own research findings, and help us develop a community of parents who CARE about their children's health and are armed with the knowledge and resources to successfully do so!