Fathers hold big sway on diet
Sweet-toothed fathers snacking on chocolate, lollies and cakes may be helping make their young kids obese, a new study has found.
SWEET-TOOTHED fathers snacking on chocolate, lollies and cakes may be helping make their young kids obese, a new study has found.
A Deakin University study of 317 Melbourne dads has found a link between their dietary habits and the food their children eat from as young as 20 months. Once the mothers’ diets were taken into account, fathers’ consumption of sweet food was found to be directly associated with how much sweet food their children ate.
“Fathers could be influenc- ing children by role modelling or making food available at the family home,” lead author Adam Walsh said. “Dads start to think about what they’re eating once their kids start school but this research shows children are taking notice at a much earlier age.”