Study suggests certain calorie information might also prompt parents to encourage more exercise
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Jan. 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Parents might order fewer calories for their children if menus included calorie counts or information on how much walking would be required to burn off the calories in foods, a new study suggests.
The new research also found that mothers and fathers were more likely to say they would encourage their kids to exercise if they saw menus that detailed how many minutes or miles it takes to burn off the calories consumed.
"Our research so far suggests that we may be on to something," said study lead author Dr. Anthony Viera, director of health care and prevention at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. New calorie labels "may help adults make meal choices with fewer calories, and the effect may transfer from parent to child."
Findings from the study were published online Jan. 26 and in the February print issue of the journal Pediatrics.
As many as one in three children and teens in the United States is overweight or obese, according to background information in the study. And, past research has shown that overweight children tend to grow up to be overweight adults. Preventing excess weight in childhood might be a helpful way to prevent weight problems in adults.
Calories from fast-food restaurants comprise about one-third of U.S. diets, the researchers noted. So adding caloric information to fast-food menus is one possible prevention strategy. Later this year, the federal government will require restaurants with 20 or more locations to post calorie information on menus.
The hope behind including calorie-count information is that if people know how many calories are in their food, it will convince them to make healthier choices. But "the problem with this approach is there is not much convincing data that calorie labeling actually changes ordering behavior," Viera said.
This prompted the investigators to launch their study to better understand the role played by calorie counts on menus.
The researchers surveyed 1,000 parents of children aged 2 to 17 years. The average age of the children was about 10 years. The parents were asked to look at mock menus and make choices about food they would order for their kids.
source : Menu Calorie Counts May Mean Less Fattening Meals for Kids
