'Relaxed Parents' Ignore Healthy Eating

Mintel's first 'Childhood Obesity' report estimates that half of UK parents take little interest in their children's eating habits. Half the children surveyed claim to eat whatever they like, with bread, crisps and chocolate among their favourites. Meanwhile, 44% of all girls are trying to lose weight, and 41% feel guilty about eating.

Overall, only just over half (54%) of parents try to educate their children about healthy eating, and only two in five (42%) avoid giving kids high-fat foods. The report classifies 33% of mums and dads as 'Relaxed Parents', who take little interest in their children's eating habits. At around 5.3 million parents, this is the largest group identified in the survey. A further 17% of parents are described as 'Indulging', giving their children what they want when it comes to food, whether it's healthy or not. The remainder of mums and dads are tagged either 'Worrying Parents' (21%), who are concerned about their children's weight as well as their sugar and fat intake, or 'Controlling Parents' (29%), who try and ensure their children eat a healthy diet.

Among kids themselves, most 11- to 16-year-olds know that it is important to eat a balanced diet, but many don't put this knowledge into practice. Despite significant drops since 2001, 67% still often eat between meals, and 53% claim to eat whatever they like. Bread (85%), fruit (82%), biscuits (80%), cereals (78%) and tomato ketchup (78%) are named as the top five foods for Britain's seven to 16-year-olds. By contrast, only 69% eat vegetables. When it comes to eating between meals, the top choice is potato crisps (41%), followed by chocolate (39%), fruit (35%), sweets (29%) and sweet biscuits (22%).

Girls are much more interested than boys in healthy eating, with 76% of girls understanding the importance of eating a balanced diet, compared with 68% of boys. At the other end of the spectrum, there are growing concerns about eating disorders developing at a young age. As many as 33% of children say that they often try to lose weight - whether they need to or not - and 32% eat when they are sad. Girls (44%) are almost twice as likely as boys (23%) to be trying to lose weight, and are more likely to feel guilty about eating (41% vs 20%) and to comfort eat (41% vs 23%).

Maria Elustondo, Senior Market Analyst at Mintel commented: 'Although messages about the importance of leading a healthy life seem to be getting through, too many parents are still unsure about how to put a healthy diet into practice. Clearly parents need practical suggestions, such as how to ensure their child eats five portions of fruit and veg a day, to make leading a healthy life as easy as possible.'

She also suggests ways in which children could be educated about the benefits of a healthy diet. 'This could be done by marketing certain foods as 'beauty foods', which are good for healthy skin, hair and nails, or 'sports fuel'. The main point is that they understand how a healthy diet and regular exercise can have a positive impact on their life,' she explains.

The company's web site is at www.mintel.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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