If France wants to escape the epidemic of obesity visible in the US, families should sit down more often at table and eat together, a US historian claims.
Peter Stearns of George Mason University in Virginia will tell a conference in Paris devoted to the female body today that the two countries have historically had "diametrically opposite" attitudes to the feeding of children.
By the beginning of the last century warnings were being given about the weight of American adults, but it took 70 years for parents and experts to become alerted to the possibility that children might overeat, he argues.
Child-rearing manuals were filled with advice about making sure that "children [increasingly, particularly girls] are not underweight," warning of the risks of anorexia.
Parents encouraged their children to eat and turned a blind eye to snacking.
In France, by contrast, from the 1920s onwards child experts advised parents to control what their offspring ate with measured helpings, meals at fixed times and little eating between meals beyond authorized snacks.
But at the close of the 20th century patterns began to change. In both countries fizzy sugar-laden drinks became more popular, long hours were spent at the computer or in front of the television, even if the problem was far more serious in America.
"The preservation of the quality of meals and of eating discipline, that remains part of the French family life, seems a vital component in avoiding the kinds of obesity trends which have exploded in the US. Management of childhood plays a vital role here," says Stearns.
French families have a less formal attitude these days, but still place emphasis on food quality and leisurely mealtimes, he says in his contribution to the conference, which looks at eating habits.
In the US, children not yet two years old have acquired bad habits from their parents: French fries are eaten every day by nine percent of babies aged between nine and 11 months and by 21 percent of those aged between 19 and 24 months, according to a study published in October at a conference of the American Dietetic Association.
With sweets and sugary drinks added in, these babies consume 20 to 30 percent too many calories a day.
At least a quarter of the 19 to 24-month age group eat hot dogs, bacon or sausages once a day, according to a study of 3,000 children financed by a US baby food manufacturer.
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