As a nutrition professional, I know that my daily tendencies have an impact on my long-term health. I also believe my habits influence my children’s health. I consider it my responsibility as a parent to model the behaviors I want to see in my own children.
I certainly am not perfect (who is?), but I try to do my part.
I read a recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health about mothers’ habits and how they influence their children’s risk for developing weight problems. This large, prospective study looked at over 24,000 children 9 to 14 years of age, and assessed the maternal behaviors that positively and negatively influenced their risk of developing obesity.
During a five-year follow-up period, 5 percent (1,282) of children in the study developed obesity, which was strongly associated with maternal smoking, physical inactivity and obesity.
[See: What 10 Nutritionists Learned About Cooking From Their Moms.]
The researchers also found five lifestyle behaviors that protected children from developing weight problems. Some habits were influential on their own. However, when moms practiced all five of these healthy behaviors, the risk of obesity development in their children was reduced by 75 percent. If the kids participated in these lifestyle behaviors, too, their risk was reduced by an impressive 82 percent.
Based on the research, here are five effective healthy habits moms can model for their children:
1. Eat a healthy, balanced diet.
Moms can improve their own diet by including more vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, polyunsaturated fats, omega-3 fats and lower amounts of red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, trans fats and sodium.
Certainly, what children see their parents eat at home influences their own eating patterns and food choices. However, these are also influenced by peer pressure, school nutrition, media and advertisements targeting children, fast food, and the reality of food accompanying nearly all activities in a child’s life. One study showed that eating outside of the home among children increased from 23 percent in 1977 to 34 percent in 2006. Moms (and dads) do have an influence on their kids’ food choices and eating patterns, especially at home, though external environments are naturally more difficult to regulate.
2. Exercise regularly.
Moms who did at least 150 minutes, or 2.5 hours, of moderate to vigorous exercise per week lowered the risk of weight problems for their children in this study. More exercise per week lowered their kids’ risk further.
Brisk walking, gardening, playing with children and household chores qualify as moderate activities, while running, fast cycling, swimming or competitive sports are examples of vigorous activities.
[See: 10 Fun, Fresh Ways to Work Out Together as a Family.]
3. Maintain a healthy body weight.
According to this study, the children of moms who maintained a healthy body weight (defined as a body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9) had a 56 percent lower risk of weight problems compared to kids of moms who had a higher BMI.
I believe a stable body weight that allows a person to live a healthy, productive life is the key. Dieting and weight fluctuations are not healthy, and can negatively influence children’s health, increasing the risk for weight gain and eating disorders.
4. Watch alcohol consumption.
In this study, the risk of obesity was lower in children whose mothers reported low to moderate alcohol consumption compared to those mothers who abstained from alcohol intake entirely. This doesn’t mean that you should start drinking alcohol if you don’t partake. (There weren’t enough mothers who drank heavily in the study to conclude how that might impact their child’s risk for weight problems — apart from other issues it could cause.)
Moderate alcohol consumption is defined as having up to one drink per day for women, and up to 2 drinks per day for men, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
5. Avoid smoking.
KIds of mothers who did not smoke had a 31 percent lower risk of weight problems, compared to children of mothers who did smoke.
[See: 10 Things Pediatricians Advise That Parents Ignore — and Really Shouldn’t.]
Genetics are powerful, but so is the environment a child grows up in. Moms and dads have a unique opportunity to nurture their children’s health through adopting and modeling healthy habits every day.
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The Power of Mom: Modeling a Healthy Lifestyle Can Reduce Kids’ Weight Woes originally appeared on usnews.com
