Researchers have looked into the social myth according to which the behavior of parents in terms of food consumption (and in particular the way the mother eats) determines that of their children.
- The dietary habits of parents have no significant impact on those of their offspring according to a meta-analysis.
- According to the data studied, diets in families are not alike between parents and children.
- The mother’s diet also has no more influence than the father’s on the eating habits of their children, contrary to popular belief.
Cats don’t make dogs, except maybe when it comes to food intake…Researchers have looked at the similarity in diet between parents and children and the results of their study, published in The Lancetdemonstrate that contrary to what one might think, parents are not role models for their children’s eating behaviors.
Eating habits: the influence of parents is weak
To conduct their work, the authors analyzed 61 studies on food similarity between parents and children existing in six scientific databases and other sources of literature between 1980 and 2020. They notably examined the similarity of food intakes, including including nutrient intakes, intakes by food group and complete diet.
95% of the studies were carried out in high-income countries: United States (42.6%); European countries (34.4%); Australia (13.1%); Canada (1.6%); South Korea (1.6%); Japan (1.6%); the rest of the studies (4.9%) were in low- or middle-income countries.
In detail, their analyzes show weak to moderate associations not only between whole-food diets but also between caloric intake, fat, protein, carbohydrate, fruit and vegetable, and sugary food intake, among parents and children.
Sharing meals as a family can have a real impact
This study challenges the belief that the way parents eat affects the eating habits of children throughout their lives.
Furthermore, according to the authors, emphasizing the importance of maternal influences on the development of children’s eating habits, as health professionals do, would not be based on a level of evidence large enough.
Indeed, unlike a study which concluded that maternal food intakes have a greater influence on children than paternal diets, this meta-analysis instead shows that it is the presence of both parents that has a greater influence on the similarity of food intakes than a single parent – even if it remains weak.
This may be a consequence of double reinforcement from both parents and meal sharing within the family, the authors conclude.
