That's at least according to a U.S. Kids andNutritionwhite paper, with results of a survey of kids and parentsconducted by research company KidSay and The Marketing Store Worldwide.
The survey found that "according to moms, it is notrealistic to eliminate all unhealthy food" from their children's diet. And moms"accept that kids (and themselves) are always going to eat some less healthyfoods." Inthewhite paper on the survey's results, it continues, "thesefoods are too ubiquitous, convenient and good tasting. So one of the primarymessages moms strive to teach their kids is balance."
The white paper goes on to say that "most moms view someless healthy items as serving an important role as a treat that makes boththemselves and their kids happy."
Says one mom quoted in the report, "Sure, I could serve mykids just water and milk. But when you pull out the juice boxes, it's allsmiles. The important thing is that they don't have them every day."
The report continues: "Moms strive to position less healthyfoods or beverages as special treats that are to be enjoyed -- while moderatingwhen, where and how often kids consume them. The bottom line for moms is -- gettingchildren to embrace healthy eating is viewed as a long-term effort that is bestachieved by focusing on incremental improvements. Instead of setting absolutegoals, moms say they set smaller, more achievable goals."
For example, one mom says, "I'm just working on themdrinking more water than juice."
While the report doesn't make any recommendations about particularsnack foods, it's easy to conclude that parents are open to them on a limitedbasis and that if marketers continue to work toward cutting back on sugarcontent and market them through parents and not kids, they have a good chanceof maintaining solid sales. If parents aren't totally opposed to snacks intheir kid's diet, there is always a chance that marketers could reach them withthe right products and ad campaigns.
The study also finds that kids and their parents often agreeon many things related to eating habits, although kids' perceptions of what ishealthy may be different than their folks' perceptions. The survey found thatabout 50% of kids polled rate themselves "pretty good" on healthy eating. About25% rate themselves "okay" and 20% rate themselves excellent. Only about 5%rate themselves as not very good.
To most kids, eating healthy means eating lots of fruits andvegetables and limiting foods such as sweets or chips. But as one eight-year-oldgirl is quoted as saying, "You can't eat just fruits and vegetables all of thetime." The study finds that many kids do realize that snack fare at parties, e.g.sweets, chips and pizza, is not considered the healthiest.
Interestingly, most moms rate their kids as healthy eaters.The survey finds that 50% believe their kids are "pretty good" at eatinghealthy. Another 25% rate their kids as "okay" eaters, 15% rate their kids as excellentwhen it comes to healthy eating and only 10% says they're children are nothealthy eaters. Those percentages almost mirror what the kids perceive.
When moms do attempt to get their children to eat healthier,it does include more fruits and vegetables and fewer snacks, plus more waterand less soda and fewer fried foods.
While moms are buying more organic food, they are nottotally sold on it. Only about a third of moms of kids 5-7 say they are buyingmore organic food this year than last.
The survey also measured the "coolness" factor of eatinghealthy. Among kids 8-11 surveyed, 80% said they think it is "cool" to eathealthy, compared to 5% who said it is "uncool." The 80% is up from 59% in asimilar survey in 2004, while the 5% is down from 19% in 2004.
Dieting, on the other hand, was thought to be "uncool" by39%, compared to 33% who think it's "cool."
Among foods kids 8-11 consider cool are fruit (82%), candy(81%), chips (79%), healthy drinks (58%), healthy snacks (57%), granola bars(51%), yogurt (48%), vegetables (47%), vitamins (43%) and energy bars (36%).
What is the favorite snack of 8-11 year olds? The surveyfound, Cheez-Its (7%), generic chips (6%), Goldfish (6%), Lay's chips (5%) and fruit(5%) topping the list.
When kids 8-11 go into a grocery store, what food item dothey most want to get? Fruit (13%), candy (11%), ice cream (10%), chips (7%), andmeat (7%).
Maybe one of the most surprising pieces of data in the whitepaper -- other than the idea that eight-year-olds would say they prefer fruitover, say ice cream -- states that while 98% of moms say they would most wanttheir kids to learn about nutrition from their parents, and 79% of moms saythey would like their kids to learn about it from their teachers, the thirdmost favored source is from television (45%), which is ahead of doctors orother health professionals (39%).
While there's no word on it in the survey, chances are stillgood that moms want you to keep your elbows off the table, not talk with yourmouth full and not text while eating. Oh yes: and call home more.
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