Wed, Aug 21, 2002 page2

• Children's weight affected by parents' habits: study

  DIET A survey of children in the third to fifth grade and their parents found that genetics and the eating habits of the parents have a direct impact on a child's weight

  • STAFF WRITER
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  The John Tung Foundation (董氏基金會) says the results of a survey it conducted show that children's weight is greatly affected by the eating habits of their parents.

  The foundation based its findings on questionnaires given to 1,647 children in the third to the fifth grade and their parents.

  The release of the survey coincides with a three-day summer camp for school children and their mothers the foundation is sponsoring, along with the Council of Agriculture, that opened Monday and finishes today.

  Chief of the foundation's department of nutrition, Hsu Hui-yu (許惠玉), said the survey showed the most influential factor on a child's weight is genetics. If parents are overweight, their children are likely to be overweight, too, Hsu said.

  The eating habits of the parents also have a direct impact on their children's weight, Hsu said.

  For example, if parents are fond of snacking, their children have a high probability of being overweight -- a 30 percent probability according to the foundation's research.

  If parents are not big snack-eaters, the chance of their children being overweight drops to 17 percent.

  Other statistics released by the foundation include that there is a 31 percent chance for a child to become overweight if the parents rarely eat breakfast, but the probability drops to 18 percent if the parents regularly eat breakfast. If a child's parents enjoy eating fatty and/or fried foods, the probability of the kids being overweight is 30 percent. If the parents prefer to eat light, their children only have a 17 percent chance of being overweight.

  However, even if the parents prepare healthy foods for their children, there is no guarantee that the kids will eat them.

  A researcher said, "If the parents compel their children to eat healthily, it won't help changing their habits. It can even make the matters worse because children of that age can be very resentful."

  Hsu suggested that parents should teach their children to eat healthily by doing so themselves and not try to force the kids to eat certain foods.

  For your information

  Children's weight

  * A survey by the John Tung Foundation shows that children of parents who are fond snacking have a 30 percent probability of being overweight. * Children of parents who are not fond of snacking face a 17 percent chance of being overweight. * Children of parents who rarely eat breakfast have a 31 percent chance of becoming overweight. * If parents eat a healthy breakfast, the chance of their children being overweight drops to 17 percent.
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