Who Is To Blame?
![Picture](/uploads/1/9/1/4/19140605/1834575.jpeg?306)
Parental beliefs, attitudes, perceptions and behaviors contribute to children’s development both mentally and physically. Parents are the main role models in a child’s life; this can either have positive or negative consequences on the child’s diet, exercise routine, and overall lifestyle. Since parents are the main role models that children look up to, it is important for parents to be aware of their own lifestyle choices.
Parents should follow these steps to be positive role models for their children:
*Make healthy food choices
- It has been proven that parents that consume fruits and vegetables have children that do the same.
*Display their mastery of portion control
-Children need to learn portion control at a very young age to prevent over eating habits
*Being physically active
-Children with parents that workout on a regular basis are more likely to want to play sports
To avoid being negative role models for their children parents should be aware of the following:
*Studies show that mothers who diet or are restrained eaters tend to have daughters who show to have similar eating patterns.
-This can eventually lead to eating disorders or crash dieting problems.
*Overweight children that have overeating or eating from emotion issues tend to have overweight parents as well
*Parents can be negative role models for their children is by not being supportive.
-Children a great deal of support in order to feel good about themselves.
*Children that do not have a good support system from their parents may feel depressed and their condition can worsen
Other factors that can contribute to childhood Obesity:
*genetic factors- It is up to the parent to recognize the risk factors their children may have, and it is their responsibility to provide their children with good dieting, exercise routines, and overall healthy lifestyle choices.
*fast food industry- Just because there are fast-food restaurants easily available does not mean that parents have to choose that for their families every time they are out. Parents can find alternative choices such as building in more time to cook or cooking food in advance and heating it up when they are in a hurry.
*advertising- Parents can explain to their children that just because an advertisement or commercial tries to get you to buy their product does not mean that you have to. Parents must also teach their children that many of the food advertised may not be that healthy for people even if the ad says it is.
All of these outside factors can contribute to childhood obesity, but they all stem from the parenting skills and techniques used. Parents are supposed to teach their children how to live a healthy lifestyle and that will lead to the prevention of childhood obesity.
“Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
This means that if a parent can successfully show a child how to live healthy when they are young, then those habits will follow them when they are grown.