7/31/2019 Weel 30 Health

1/1

HealthDay Reporter

The more work-relatedtress parents experience, theore likely their children are

o eat unhealthy meals, a newtudy shows.

"Who would have thoughthat a child's nutrition is af-ected by [parents] worrying bout their jobs?" said Kather-ne Bauer, a researcher and as-istant professor of publicealth at Temple University'senter for Obesity Researchnd Education. Bauer con-ucted the research while athe University of Minnesota.

The research is published in

he current issue of the journalocial Science & Medicine.Bauer and her colleagues

used data from a study of morethan 3,700 parents of teens liv-ing in a Midwestern metropoli-tan area. Only 64 percent of fathers and 46 percent of moth-ers were employed full time.

Those mothers employed fulltime had fewer meals as a fam-ily, served more fast-foodmeals, and encouraged theirteens to eat healthy less often,the researchers found. Theyhad lower fruit and vegetableintake and spent less time onfood preparation than momswho worked part time or whowere not employed.

The fathers' only differenceby employment status was thatfull-time workers had fewer

hours of food preparation thanthose who worked part time or

were not employed.Mothers spent more hours on

food preparation than fathers,no matter their employmentstatus, Bauer said.

Parents with high stress lev-els were more likely to havefast food for family meals, lesslikely to encourage their chil-dren to eat healthy, and morelikely to eat fewer servings of

fruits and vegetables a day.Mothers with high stress lev-

els served an average of fourfamily meals a week, whilethose with low stress levelsserved 5.5 meals. Fathers withhigh stress levels had 4.1 fam-ily meals weekly; those withlow stress levels had 5.7 familymeals a week.

The ndings were not sur-prising to Dr. Alice Lichten-stein, professor of nutritionscience and policy at Tufts Uni-

versity in Boston."Work stress can affect many

areas of daily life, including meal times and quality," shesaid.

The solution? Bauer saidchildren should learn to helpprepare and cook meals. Theentire family also can help with

grocery shopping.Lichtenstein agreed. "Teach-ing both parents and childrenhow to take advantage of quick,easy, healthy and common fooditems we are fortunate to havein the marketplace can easethe load on any one member of the family," she said.

"No one wants to have to goout shopping after a tiring day,whether it be work, classes orafter-school activities," Licht-enstein continued. "A little ad-

vance planning can ensure thecomponents of a quick, healthymeal are on hand."

Her suggestions: Stock thefreezer with frozen vegetables

and lean sources of protein,such as chicken or shrimp. Youcan make a variety of healthystir-fry dishes that can be as-sembled quickly. Also have onhand fresh salad greens andtofu.

"The other important part of the equation is ensuring thateveryone in the household feels

condent pitching in, whetherit be tearing up lettuce leavesand setting the table foryounger children, or cutting and cooking for older householdmembers," Lichtenstein said."The key is to have the basic in-gredients and the knowledge touse them for meal prepara-tion."

More information:To learn more about good nu-

trition, see the dietary guide-lines at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

SOURCES: Katherine BauerPh.D., researcher and assistantprofessor, public health, TempleUniversity Center for ObesityResearch and Education,Philadelphia; Alice Lichten-stein D.Sc., Gershoff Professorof Nutrition Science and Policy,director and senior scientist,Cardiovascular Nutrition Lab-oratory, Tufts University,Boston; June 22, 2012, SocialScience & Medicine

Last Updated: June 28, 2012Copyright 2012 HealthDay.

All rights reserved.

2 Rubin Dr., Rushville Open Mon.-Sat.

Expanded Hours for your convenience: Mon-Thurs 7:30am-7pm; Fri 7:30am-5pm; Sat. 8am-12pm

Call 585-554-4400 to schedule an appointment.

Currently accepting new Medical and Dental patients.

Accepting all insurances, including Medicaid &

Medicare. Sliding fee discounts available to qualifying patients with no, or limited, insurance.

Available for Emergencies, Consultationsand All Your Dental Needs

As Always, Accepting New Patients! Appointments Available Daily

Mastercard & Visa Accepted Office28 Mechanic St.,

Hammondsport 607-569-224 2

Res.Hammondsport607-569-21

ON THE VILLAGE SQUARE Hammondsport

SAM PENNISE,

DMD

Water Street Pharmacy, 14 Water Street

Dundee, NY 14837 607-243-8114

One Hour Photo Lab

Professional Healthcare Hometown Hospitality Tracey L. Knapp, RPh Presiden

YOUR GOOD HEALTH

Study found family meals suffered as work pressures increased

Wednesday, July 25, 2012 Chronicle-Express.com The Chronicle-ExpressB7

Your Good Health Every Week in The Chronicle-Express