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Children of lower-educated parents more likely to eat high-fat, high-sugar foods
Children of parents with low education levels are more likely to consume obesity-causing foods, new research suggests.
“The greatest difference among families with different levels of education are observed in the consumption of fruit, vegetables and sweet drinks,” Juan Miguel Fernández-Alvira, a PhD student at the University of Zaragoza, Spain, said in a press release.
The prospective cohort study included 14,426 participants aged 2 to 9 years from eight European countries to discover the effects of parent education on children’s food consumption.
Researchers found that children whose parents had low or medium levels of education had lower odds of frequently eating low-sugar and low-fat foods and higher odds of frequently eating high-sugar and high-fat foods (P<.001).
For the reference group of highly educated parents, researchers found the largest ORs in the low-intake category group for vegetables (OR=0.56; 95% CI, 0.47-0.65), fruits (OR=0.56; 95% CI, 0.48-0.65), fruits with sugar and nuts (OR=2.23; 95% CI, 1.92-2.59) and sugared beverages (OR=2.01; 95% CI, 1.77-2.37).
Participants whose parents had low education levels were more likely to consume fruits with sugar and nuts (OR=2.23; 95% CI, 1.92-2.59) and fried potatoes (OR=2.00; 95% CI, 1.72-2.31).
“Low parental education level was associated with intake of sugar-rich and fatty foods among children, while high parental education level was associated with intakes of low-sugar and low-fat foods,” Fernández-Alvira and colleagues said. “These findings should be taken into account in public health interventions, with more targeted policies aiming at an improvement of children’s diet.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.