News Release

Lead by example to get your kids to eat right, experts say

New interactive CD on nutrition will debut at National Conference

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Saint Louis University

ST. LOUIS -- How do you convince parents to eat right so their kids will too?

The answer is on an interactive CD-ROM that will make its debut at the annual national Parents as Teachers conference in St. Louis from April 26 to 29.

The CD-ROM will guide parent educators from across the country in ways to teach adults that the best way to encourage their young children to choose healthy foods is by eating right themselves. It was produced by the Saint Louis University Obesity Prevention Center and Parents as Teachers National Center.

"Small changes to your diet can make a big difference," says Susie Nanney, manager of the project for Saint Louis University and a dietitian. "We didn't have to clear the cupboard and replace foods with only broccoli to reach the High Five, Low Fat goals."

"High Five" refers to the goal of eating five fruits and vegetables a day to fight dietary-related cancers. The nutrition program is designed to encourage African-Americans, who are at a disproportionately higher risk of developing cancer, to eat more fruits and veggies and reduce the amount of fat in their daily diets so they will stay healthy.

The four-year public health initiative at Saint Louis University School of Public Health is funded by a $2 million grant from the National Cancer Institute. Debra Haire-Joshu, Ph.D., principal investigator of the study and director of the Saint Louis University Obesity Prevention Center, said the project examined the effect of parental modeling on eating patterns in African-American families and found that parents who participated in High Five, Low Fat significantly lowered their intake of dietary fat and ate more fruits and vegetables.

"This information goes beyond the interest of local public health professionals. The effect will be magnified above and beyond what we found in St. Louis. Parents as Teachers parent educators can take it to the next level, and deliver the information to families across the nation," Dr. Haire-Joshu says.

Parent educators work at their own pace as they view an interactive CD-ROM to learn about the High Five, Low Fat nutrition curriculum. The CD-ROM, which is narrated by Olympic gold medallist Jackie Joyner-Kersee and on display at the national Parents as Teachers conference, includes recipes and other materials that parent educators can download and bring to the families they visit.

Through Parents as Teachers, more than 10,000 parent educators from all parts of the country make home visits to 260,000 families and teach them about child development in a relaxed atmosphere. About one-third of the families are minorities.

"I could never accomplish one-on-one as a dietitian what parent educators deliver to families," Nanney says.

Saint Louis University used information provided by 1,000 St. Louis families and 100 parent educators to create the High Five, Low Fat nutrition curriculum.

"While most of the adults we worked with are younger and don't think about cancer, our parent participants told us they wanted more energy. They wanted more money in their pockets," Nanney says. "And most importantly, they wanted to be good role models for their children. We showed them how to accomplish these goals by making better food choices."

Among Nanney's suggestions:

  • Sneak chopped vegetables like carrots, squash and peppers into spaghetti sauce.

  • Drink 100 percent fruit juice with your snack instead of soda.

  • Switch from mayonnaise to low fat Miracle Whip and lose nearly three pounds a year.

  • Substitute lean ham or Canadian bacon on pizzas instead of pepperoni or sausage.

  • Cook with low fat milk.

  • Buy fresh fruits and vegetables when they are in season because that's when they taste best and are cheapest. Top picks: asparagus in the spring, berries in the summer, apples in the fall and pears in the winter.

"Remember that children close their ears to advice, but open their eyes to example," Nanney says.

###


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.