MOST would agree that a child’s first, enduring and most important role model is their main caregiver; traditionally mum and dad.
So the findings of new research by Perth’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research that the consumption of sugary drinks is high among Aussie children, with most of it consumed in the home, is sad but perhaps not surprising.
Lead author of the research, which has been published in the international journal BMC Public Health, Kate Hafekost said about 80 per cent of Australian children drank sugary drinks.
She said while about 77 per cent of the sugary drinks was bought in supermarkets, 60 per cent was consumed in the home.
That means too often the family shopper is bringing sugary drinks home for their children to drink.
The research showed less than 17 per cent of the drinks was sourced at school canteens and fast-food restaurants, already the subject of public health recommendations, unlike the domestic kitchen.
Perhaps the research goes some way to explaining the high instance of obesity among our youngsters.
he average can of soft drink contains 585 kilojoules and some have more than that. But it’s worth noting fruit juice and flavoured milk have a similar amount of sugar and kilojoules, while diet drinks are no better, with high acidity that can cause tooth decay.
So what should a well-meaning parent do?
Apart from not drinking the sugary drinks themselves, it is suggested that sugary soft drinks, cordials, fruit juices and flavoured milk should be out of the shopping trolley, fridge and pantry and regarded more as a special treat, not a daily habit.
New parents can start to heed the suggestion early and often so as to set good habits that should last a lifetime and help to keep their children free of nutrition-related chronic health problems.