How to engage your kids - leading by example
March 12, 2021

As parents, we all hope and work very hard for our children to grow and thrive as healthy, fulfilled, and happy individuals. But encouraging your kids to:

• Eat right
• Move more
• Be kind
• Help out, and
• Limit screen time

...may not be enough to instill these healthy habits. As they say, "actions speak louder than words" and that is exactly what research is showing. Parents need to lead by example!

Be engaged in the behaviours that you want your children to take part in, and be a role model to help them be healthier and thrive. An added benefit is that you as well as your whole family will be healthier for it. Don't believe us? Here are the hard facts that prove it.

A recent telephone survey asked 3,200 parents about physical activity, healthy eating, and appropriate TV/screen time. Their findings support research showing that children are very influenced by their parents. This makes sense - children grow up around their parents for most of their lives. Parents' behaviour was associated with the:

• Physical activity
• Eating behaviours, and
• Body weight

...of their children. Parents are instrumental in the growth and development of their children. This research shows how essential it should be for parents to promote and create opportunities for healthy active living!

For those parents of adolescents and teenagers, we get it - you may think that they're done listening to you. But we have good news for you: there is a strong relationship between your social support and adolescent's physical activity. What does that mean?

• Support your kids in their pursuits of activity and movement,
• Create opportunities for them to be active, and
• Make it a part of your family's routine.

So if you needed more motivation to lace up those shoes and go out for a walk, play or throw the ball around, here it is. This research and many others show that parents can shape their children's health behaviours. And they can keep shaping it from their formative years through to adulthood.

Need ideas of how to get the family active, eating healthy, and thriving during these difficult times? Contact Med-I-Well about our Family Health Playbook.

It's a comprehensive, practical guide to help each of your family members grow and flourish even in these difficult times. It's full of healthy, EASY recipes that even your kids can help with. Plus it has family nutrition tips, family fitness challenges, strategies to help kids deal with the current COVID-19 pandemic, and more. Discover ways for YOU AS A PARENT to thrive during these times vs. survive!

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Source: Pyper et al., The impact of different types of parental support behaviours on child physical activity, healthy eating, and screen time: a cross-sectional study BMC Public Health (2016) 16:568 DOI 10.1186/s12889-016-3245-0

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