A study, published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behaviour, shows that when the family plans weight-managerial strategies at home, it benefits both, parents, as well as the kids. Children learn everything from their parents. What they see their parents are doing, they try to replicate the same during their childhood. And if parents involve healthy lifestyle, including exercise and healthy diet plans, it becomes the habit of the whole family to adopt those lifestyles. However, the study shows that if they get in habit of involving their children into such activity, it helps in maintaining their Lifestyle as well.
The study found that the habit of involving a healthy diet and exercise, which is known as DRIVE curriculum, is actually helpful to reduce the weight of the whole family. The weight of the Kids get managed by these strategies and this also motivates the parents to do so.
Keely Hawkins and Corby K. Martin, the study researchers from Louisiana State University in the US, said that parents play a vital role in framing the environment of the child. It is parents who design the lifestyle of a child, making the child health-conscious or the opposite one.
To conduct this study, the researchers examined 16 families were selected. These Families were examined based on their child obesity risk for 19 weeks. The kids who were involved in the study aged 2-6 years and those whose Body Mass Index(BMI) was greater than 75 percent. Then, these Families were asked to get their health information recorded or DRIVE curriculum status.
Children who undergo DRIVE intervention, a drive to motivate and regulate healthy diet accompanied by physical training and exercise which also include sports activities, were able to maintain a moderate Body Mass Index. Also, it showed a positive impact on the weight of their parents as well. And, those who took medical training only, didn’t show such a positive result.
