It would be difficult to lead a specific lifestyle and that our children would do the opposite or not "inherit" our habits. Therefore, sometimes it is enough that parents change something in their way of acting so that children do too. In the case of obesity and childhood overweight, it has been proven that interventions aimed at reducing them are effective even if they are only performed on parents.
This would imply some advantages when applying these interventions aimed at improving children's health, if for example children are too young to receive certain information, if there are not enough resources, due to timetables ... And there is no better school for our children than ourselves in health matters, since they are reflected as in a mirror.
In people, the way of feeding, preferences and rejections towards certain foods, are strongly conditioned by the learning and experiences lived in the first five years of life. Parents play a fundamental role in the education and transmission of dietary guidelines, so the preventive educational content applied to them are highly effective.
Regarding physical activity, the other factor closely related to good health and the prevention of obesity and overweight, parents are also of fundamental importance. Sedentary families are together, while active parents, sports parents, active children and athletes.
Promoting physical activity is essential in many areas, but the influence of the home is undeniable. There are studies that place parents' sports habits as one of the fundamental predictors of their children's future sports practice. In fact, we are the main motivators when it comes to involving children in sports, even ahead of friends and their idols, famous athletes.
And, as we said at the beginning, a recent study has indicated that interventions aimed exclusively at parents to curb overweight and childhood obesity are effective. They are also, of course, if you intervene on minors, but without significant differences, so, as we have pointed out at the beginning, this could have some advantages.
The study has been carried out by specialists in Medicine from universities in the United Kingdom and Germany, with data from families with children aged five to 11 years and more than three thousand participants (data extracted from various previous research). The interventions carried out with the families were regarding diet, physical activity and there were also behavioral interventions.
In their conclusions, they point out that interventions only with parents can be an effective treatment option for children who are overweight or obese compared to those who remain on the "waiting list" to receive this help.
Prevent overweight and obesity of children
But, we don't want to get to that extreme of having to need help. What do we have to do to prevent this intervention? That is to say, How can we prevent the overweight of our children? Well, precisely by carrying out a healthier lifestyle as possible, leading by example.
Recall that health specialists recommend physical performance of moderate to intense intensity (especially aerobic) every day of the week for children, or at least most days. Physical activity for more than 60 minutes brings additional health benefits. Likewise, the food must be varied and balanced, avoiding as much as possible the foods that are located at the top of the food pyramid (industrial pastries, sweets, sausages ...).
Following these tips, we become the best health school for our children and we will keep obesity and overweight at bay, as well as other eating disorders, aversions ... And all without needing to seek help that is not always available, or that may be too late. According to WHO, obesity is the new epidemic of the 21st century and it is never too late to start preventing it.
