The You Are What You Eat poll asked Couch members about the parental and other influences over children’s food choices and if healthy food should be the only option offered in schools and early childhood education centres. This poll ran during July 2007 and was for parents and caregivers of children and young people aged 18 years and under.
Thanks to the 691 parents and caregivers who completed this survey and shared their experiences and views on the influences on children’s food choices.
Couch members told us that healthy eating was important to them, but sometimes it was not a priority in their family. Most tried to set an example for their families by having healthy snacks available, eating at least one meal at home or eating breakfast at home. Most thought they had a big influence their children’s eating habits both inside and outside the home. Three-quarters of Couch respondents believed that schools and early childhood centres should only offer healthy food and drink to children. Almost everyone agreed that children should be encouraged to make healthy food choices and that parents and caregivers had a role in this, as did other family members and whānau.
The majority of respondents had children or teenagers between five and 18 years of age.
More than 50% of Couch respondents thought healthy eating was very important to their family. Just over 40% felt that while healthy eating was important it didn’t always take priority.
Almost all respondents tried to set a good example for their family most of the time.
Couch members tried to set a good example for their families most commonly by having a range of healthy snacks available, eating at least one meal at home, and eating breakfast at home. Some parents and caregivers discussed healthy eating with their children to help them understand why it is good for them.
Most respondents thought they had a very big or big influence on their children’s eating habits.
Just over half the respondents thought they had a very big or big influence on what their children ate outside of their home.
Three-quarters of Couch respondents believed schools and early childhood education centres should only offer healthy food and drink to children.
Almost everyone who took part said that children and young people should be encouraged to make healthy food choices.
Almost all Couch respondents thought that parents had a role in helping children and young people learn about healthy food choices. Most also thought that educational institutions and other family members and whānau should take on this role.
Helping children and young people learn about healthy food choices
A number of participants concluded that learning about healthy eating was a society-wide issue. The more places and organisations that are included as part of the solution, the more a community-wide approach can be in place, and eventually healthy eating and regular physical activity will become ‘normal’. The majority accepted that parents were responsible for teaching children about healthy eating, but also felt that role models were important. They suggested: children’s favourite TV characters, doctors, dieticians, dentists, nutritionists, Plunket, SPARC, marae, runanga, tribal authorities, sports clubs, prominent sports people, and grandparents.
Parents are primarily responsible, but back-up from other positions of authority – doctors, health nurses/Plunket, and teachers – really helps. Kids are more inclined to believe Mum and Dad if they hear the same messages from other adults they respect too. (35 year old Couch member from Wellington city)
In many households, the person who did the grocery shopping and prepared the meals chose the food. Some families encouraged their children to shop with them and be involved in what is bought, “talking about which foods are the healthy ones and how to balance them in a meal”. In this way, they hoped to inspire their children to develop healthy eating habits.
Many adults felt they needed education themselves around making healthy choices and some would welcome more ideas for children’s lunchboxes.
Role of schools
Members’ opinions about schools’ roles in teaching children and young people about healthy food choices differed. Some felt schools shouldn’t be involved as this was the parents’ responsibility, or because schools should focus on the core curriculum. Others appreciated what their children had learned at school about healthy eating.
Our son has had a ‘healthy living, healthy eating’ term at school which was a great idea and made a massive impact on him at age five. (44 year old Couch member from Wellington city)
Opinion was divided about whether children and young people should be given a choice about what to eat, especially at the school canteen or tuck shop. However, some thought that removing choices was unhelpful for children.
My view is that children (and grown-ups) need to be taught how to make right choices, not have choices removed from them. (41 year old Couch member from Hamilton city)
Affordability
Cost was the biggest challenge for families trying to make healthy food choices. Issues ranged from not having enough money to the availability and quality of affordable fresh produce and necessities (fruit, vegetables, milk, and meat). Many families planned their meals around what was on special at the supermarket.
How much money we have (the end of the month is a stretch for us…sometimes it’s porridge for breakfast, lunch and tea the last few days). (32 year old Couch member from urban Manawatu)
Many respondents mentioned how cheap junk food was, such as fizzy drinks and foods high in fat and sugar, compared to fresh food.
Shopping for groceries online allowed some families to keep to a strict budget and to avoid impulse buying. Other families kept costs down by growing their own fruit and veggies.
Time pressure
Time was the second most-commonly mentioned reason that stopped families making healthy food choices. Finding time to shop for, prepare, and cook healthy food was a significant issue for families trying to balance work and family life. Busy lifestyles involving full or part-time work and children’s extracurricular activities placed time pressure on families particularly at the end of the day when the evening meal was being prepared. Many respondents saw their own tiredness and lack of energy as having a huge impact on their family’s healthy eating.
Lifestyle is a major factor. Society today is too fast paced, demanding ridiculously long work hours, which takes away time previous generations spent in preparation of fresh food and healthy physical activity. (48 year old Couch member from Tauranga)
Mealtimes were a juggling act for many families. Respondents needed to consider individual preferences or dietary needs related to medical conditions such as diabetes and food allergies. They might also have to think about cultural, ecological, environmental and ethical beliefs (such as vegetarianism and the ethics of food origin).
Availability
Families found that convenience often won-out over the ideal of a home-cooked meal or a homemade lunch. Many respondents lamented the lack of healthy takeaways or convenience food, or found these options too expensive when trying to feed a large family. Availability of healthy options when travelling was also a challenge.
We all lead busy lives and sometimes need to have alternatives to home cooked meals – but there is very little healthy “convenience” food available. (31 year old Couch member from North Shore city)
Rural families reported that distance from major towns and shops meant they could only buy fresh seasonal produce infrequently and it was already several days old by the time it arrived in their area. Some families, both urban and rural, opted to grow their own produce.
…fruit and vegetables of the West Coast come from Christchurch and this means they are often several days old when they arrive and very expensive. (42 year old Couch member from urban Grey district)
Information for parents
Although fast foods were often seen as a quick and convenient option, some families have learnt to prepare healthy, low-cost meals equally quickly. They saw acquiring good cooking skills themselves as important so they could pass on these skills to their children. While other parents found that a lack of information, skills and knowledge around healthy food preparation stopped them from offering healthy options as often as they would like.
Healthy eating is less expensive than non-healthy eating, as long as you know how to shop and cook sensibly. As I have these skills, I am able to pass them on to my children. (40 year old Couch member from Wellington city)
Negative influences on food choices
Many Couch respondents felt that their efforts to provide healthy food for their children were undermined by a variety of external influences. The two most commonly mentioned external influences were television advertising aimed at children and advertising in shops and supermarkets. Advertising for snack food and “sugar-loaded breakfast cereals” and advertisements for pizza timed to coincide with decisions about dinner were difficult to counter.
Respondents also found their efforts being undermined by the food their children were offered by members of their own family, at sports events, or at school.
Other family members for example, grandparents providing chocolate ‘treats’ etc. (36 year old Couch member from Wellington city)
Other negative influences on food choices included friends (especially amongst teenagers), the low cost of some fast food options (such as $6.90 pizzas), and how easy it is to get fast food (eg takeaway shops positioned across the road from schools).
Positive influences for healthy food choices
Positive influences on food choices included: knowledge and interest in healthy foods passed down from older generations; information about healthy food choices provided in magazines, at food shows, on websites, and on TV (such as Downsize Me); and schools and early childhood centres where children were learning about healthy eating.
At the kura they have free fruit each day for the kids. (37 year old Couch member from Porirua city)
The foods we favoured as children we share with our son as often as possible – kaimoana, tropical fruits, apples, berries, fresh stone fruit, watercress. He loves it and is influenced by our appreciation of these foods. (43 year old Couch member from Wellington city)
The Heart Foundation tick was mentioned a number of times as influencing purchases. Some parents and caregivers carefully studied food packaging information.
What does the ingredients list read like? Does it look like a list for a recipe, or is it full of thickeners, emulsifiers and artificial additives that should never have made it to the food chain? (31 year old Couch member from urban Waikato district)
Parents and caregivers wrote about the importance of sharing their enthusiasm for preparing food, as well as for growing it. Social meal times were seen as an opportunity to model good eating habits to children and young people.
It was not uncommon for families to opt for takeaway foods occasionally, and to acknowledge that in the context of a balanced diet, the odd takeaway meal may be acceptable.
We reinforce good choices, not always nagging about the not so good choices, remembering that the kids are not perfect, just as we adults aren’t either. (49 year old Couch member from Wellington city)
The effects of unhealthy food choices on whānau members, such as obesity and diabetes, made some parents think carefully about what they wanted for their own family.
We’ve seen the effects of unhealthy eating on our own parents – to both extremes: overweight and diabetic etc. Although we love our parents a lot, there’s no way we want that for ourselves and our kids. (36 year old Couch member from Hamilton city)
And finally, those of us who occasionally struggle to prepare yet another meal for the family after a long and busy day might share the dream of the following parent:
I would pay a healthy foods chef if I won Lotto! (51 year old Couch member from Christchurch city)
Conclusion
We found that most respondents thought that parents and caregivers should have the main responsibility for educating their children about healthy eating. Many also admitted to needing help themselves to make healthy choices. Couch members told us that while healthy eating was important to them it was often overtaken by busy lifestyles, affordability and availability of fresh produce. Many thought they had a big influence on their children’s eating habits, but sometimes their ‘healthy’ message was undermined by advertisements for snack foods or high sugar treats. While most believed that schools and early childhood centres should limit choices, some felt it was more important to teach children how to make good choices.
Many felt they would like more information on nutrition and basic skills like cooking and food preparation.
Positive influences for healthy food choices included:
Some useful websites…
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and for the opportunity to hear from you about the day-to-day realities of making healthy food choices.
