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Educate your patients on the importance of 3-A-Day of Dairy: Here's
a great
tool (PDF: 618k) to show families how to get their 3-A-Day of Dairy
every day for stronger bones.
Developed in conjunction with The American Academy of Family
Physicians, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Dietetic
Association, and The National Medical Association.
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Dairy Council Digest Archives
Factors Influencing Eating Behaviors
Environmental Factors Affecting Dietary Behaviors
Parental Influence.
Parents, mothers in particular, play an important role in shaping young children's eating behaviors by their own dietary behaviors, their attitudes toward food, and the availability of food in the home (9,14,15). Parents can also support more healthful dietary patterns among adolescents, for example, by encouraging family meals (46).
Mothers, by setting a good example and by making milk readily available, can positively affect their young daughters' calcium status and bone health.
Several studies indicate that parents, through role modeling, expectations, or attitudes, influence young children's intake of milk, which is a major dietary source of calcium and other essential nutrients (14,17,47-49). When intakes of milk, soft drinks, and calcium were examined in 180 pairs of mothers and their 5-year-old daughters over a three month period, researchers found that mothers who drank milk more frequently tended to have daughters who drank milk more often and who consumed fewer soft drinks (47). These findings suggest that mothers' own beverage choices influence their young daughters' apparent tradeoff between milk and soft drinks. For both mothers and daughters, consumption of soft drinks was linked to low intakes of milk and calcium (47).
Another study examining predictors of milk intake in children ages 5 to 17 found that the amount and type of milk consumed by mothers strongly predicted the amount and type of milk consumed by their school-aged children (48). Parental beliefs that reduced fat milks are more healthful for children over 2 years of age also have been shown to influence the type of milk consumed by young children (49). Mothers' expectations that their daughters consume milk have been positively associated with their daughters' milk intake (17). Clearly, mothers can positively impact their children's calcium status, bone health, and overall diet quality, particularly by setting a good example, such as drinking milk, and increasing opportunities for children to consume milk. To improve children's eating behaviors, health professionals need to focus on parents' eating behaviors and encourage them to adopt healthful patterns of food intake.
Eating Away From Home.
Eating behaviors and dietary quality are influenced by where food is consumed - at home, school, or away from home at restaurants and fast food establishments (9,10,36). Frequently eating at restaurants or fast food establishments may negatively affect the nutritional quality of the diet because of the large portion sizes of foods served and the types of foods often selected (17,50-52). A recent study of nearly 5,000 adolescents found that frequency of fast food restaurant use was positively associated with daily intake of high fat, high sugar food choices (e.g., french fries, soft drinks) and negatively associated with consumption of healthful foods (e.g., milk, fruit, vegetables, grains) (50). Studies show that children and adults consume more energy from fat and saturated fat and less calcium, fiber, and iron from restaurant and fast food meals than from at-home meals (51,53). The decreased availability of milk or limited choices of milk, as well as the availability of other non-milk beverage options at restaurants and fast food establishments, contribute to the low calcium density of meals served in these establishments (15,51). Children and adults need to recognize how foods consumed away from home contribute to the overall nutritional quality of the diet and learn how to make healthful food and beverage choices when eating outside the home (53).
Schools influence children's eating behaviors by the availability of school nutrition programs such as the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and foods sold outside these programs (e.g., in snack bars, school stores, vending machines, and a la carte) (9,54). Participation in the NSLP and SBP improves students' nutrient intake (55,56). However, more needs to be done to increase students' participation in these programs and to improve their food choices throughout the total school environment. As reviewed in the previous Digest (57), creating healthy school environments through improved food choices that reinforce positive dietary behaviors is a priority of the Action for Healthy Kids initiative (www.actionforhealthykids.org). A recent pilot test found that a combination of enhancements to school milk (e.g., upgrades in milk packaging, flavor variety, merchandising) increased students' milk intake and their participation in the NSLP (20). It is estimated that if these school milk enhancements were adopted nationwide, the lifetime incidence of diet-related illnesses and related health care costs could be substantially reduced (58).
Media, Marketing, and Advertising.
The media can positively impact food choices by promoting health education and awareness through "healthier" food choices. However, there is some concern that media exposure such as some television commercials may contribute to higher fat, higher energy food choices (9,50,59,60). Another concern is that the numerous, diverse messages about diet and health through the media, promotions, and advertising may lead to nutrition backlash or disregard for all health-related messages (1,16,42,61). Efforts are being made to develop simple, actionable messages that the public can readily understand and incorporate into everyday lives (62). An example is the "3-A-Day of Dairy for Stronger Bones" campaign sponsored by the dairy industry in collaboration with health professional organizations (www.3aday.org). Research indicates that the omission of "how much" and "how often" a person should eat a food makes it difficult to make practical use of nutrition information (62). The "3-A-Day of Dairy" campaign specifies how much and how often a day to consume milk, cheese, or yogurt to meet daily calcium requirements.
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