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HEALTHY
EATING

bles with high intake of calorically-dense ther attenuate the risk associated with child- tative Study. International Journal of Envi-
foods in this age group corresponds to hood obesity. ronmental Research and Public Health.
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“weight status in later childhood stages.” 2018;15(5):978-995.doi:10.3390/
There is a caveat to this, however; kids should Authors left to right: Adeel Sajid, Darwin ijerph15050978
not be made to ‘clean their plates’ or have ex- Nguyen, Yi Fang, Cynthia Bogran and Jocelyn 6. Vollmer RL, Mobley AR. Parenting styles,
tremely stringent control placed over their Wey are Second-year Osteopathic Medical Stu- feeding styles, and their influence on child
diet by their parents. Several studies have dents at the University of the Incarnate Word obesogenic behaviors and body weight. A
shown high maternal food control leads to a School of Osteopathic Medicine, San Antonio, review. Appetite. 2013;71:232-241.
higher likelihood of the child becoming Texas. 7. Kalinowski A, Krause K, Berdejo C, et.
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obese. Rather, children should be given al.:Beliefs about the Role of Parenting in
healthy options to choose from and be al- Feeding and Childhood Obesity among
lowed to decide for themselves how much Mothers of Lower Socioeconomic Status.
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food to eat from what they are given. Just as Journal of Nutrition Education and Behav-
it is important what a child eats, it is also im- References ior. 2012;44(5):432-437.
portant how and when a child eats. Behaviors 1. Sharon Kirkpatrick, PhD, MHSc, RD, 8. Jang M, Owen B, Lauver DR. Different types
related to poor diet, including excessive snack- Amanda Raffoul, MSc, Measures Registry of parental stress and childhood obesity: A
ing, frequent eating out, fast food consump- User Guide: Individual Diet. National Col- systematic review of observational studies.
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have been found to be associated with an in- May 2017. http://nccororgms.wpengine. doi:10.1111/obr.12930
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eating dinner as a family throughout adoles- loads /sites/2/2017/NCCOR_ MR_User_ al.: Determinants of Obesity in the Hispanic
cence helps promote consumption of healthy Guide_Individual_Diet-FINAL.pdf Preschool Population: An Integrative Re-
food intake and reduces consumption of 2. Byron A. Foster, Trevor M. Maness, Chris- view. Public Health Nursing. 2016;33
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calorically dense foods. tian A. Aquino. Trends and Disparities in (3):189-199.
Although there have been several studies the Prevalence of Childhood Obesity in 10. Etelson, Debra, Donald A. Brand, Patricia
highlighting the importance of establishing South Texas between 2009 and 2015. Jour- A. Patrick, Anushree Shirali. Childhood
healthy eating habits at an early age, there nal of Obesity, vol. 2017, Article ID obesity: do parents recognize this health
needs to be an active involvement of the par- 1424968, 7 pages, 2017. https://doi.org/ risk? Obesity Research. 2003;11:1362–
ents in forming these behaviors which can 10.1155/ 2017/1424968 1368. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
then be continued into adulthood. Chil- 3. Goutham Rao, MD. Childhood Obesity: doi/pdf/10.1038/oby.2003.184
dren’s dietary habits, food preferences and Highlights of AMA Expert Committee
even physical activity levels are greatly influ- Recommendations. Am Fam Physician.
enced by their parents and home environ- 2008 Jul 1;78(1):56-63.
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ment. It is crucial that parents acknowledge https://www.aafp.org/afp/ 2008/0701/
the importance of healthy eating and the p56.html#afp20080701p56-f1
ways in which they can contribute meaning- 4. Lindsay AC, Sussner KM, Kim J, Gortmaker
fully to their children’s understanding of the S. The role of parents in preventing child-
same. Additionally, cultural habits and be- hood obesity. Future Child.
liefs need to be considered when discussing 2006;16(1):169-186. doi:10.1353/
pediatric dietary guidelines with parents, en- foc.2006.0006
suring they have factual information regard- 5. Lindsay A, Wallington S, Lees F, Greaney M.
ing what a healthy weight and diet entails for Exploring How the Home Environment In-
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the corresponding age of the child. These fluences Eating and Physical Activity Habits
are important factors which should be ad- of Low-Income, Latino Children of Pre-
dressed by pediatricians in an effort to fur- dominantly Immigrant Families: A Quali-

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