PRESS RELEASE: Easy ways to establish good long-term healthy eating habits.
Embargoed until 12.01 am Sydney (AEST) Monday 21 October 2019
Melbourne, Victoria – 21 October 2019 – World-leading scientists and public health researchers will present their latest research investigating ways to improve child eating behaviours at the 11th World Congress on Developmental Origins of Health and Disease being held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 20th-23rd October.
Early in life, diet is important for healthy growth and development and can set food preferences and eating behaviours throughout life. Researchers from Norway are exploring factors that influence whether families share meals together.
They assessed 455 mother-infant pairs and found that breakfast and dinner were the meals most often shared between toddlers and their families. However, these figures dropped if the mother had anxiety or depression.
“Eating meals together as a family is critically important for establishing healthy eating habits,” explains Professor Nina Overby, leader of the Priority Research Centre on Lifecourse Nutrition at the University of Agder, Norway.
“The diet quality of toddlers is better when children eat meals with their family. Improving a mother’s mental health can improve the health of the whole family.”
Provision of healthy food for children at school may be an opportunity to improve their health. Dr Froydis Vik from Norway will present findings showing that providing a free healthy meal at school affected the food habits of children. Children’s food habits were compared between those who were provided with a free meal every day at school for one year to those whose parents packed their child’s lunch.
They found that children from low socioeconomic families who received a free school meal ate healthier food than children from low socioeconomic families who did not receive a free school meal.
“Helping children eat healthily can promote good long term healthy eating habits,” Dr Vik explains.
In Australia, experts are also exploring the benefits of healthy food provision to children. This has been a long-time passion of Dr Sandro Demaio, CEO of Vic Health, founder of the Sandro Demaio Foundation, and co-host of the ABC and Netflix television show, Ask the Doctor.
“Food lies at the heart of good health,” says Dr Demaio.
The Sandro Demaio Foundation aims to deliver a school lunch project, that will provide affordable, nutritious and healthy school lunches to primary school children, with the goal of developing healthy eating habits for life and halting the rising obesity rates in this age group.
“Nurturing the relationship children have with food can directly improve children’s health, but also the health of their family. Eating together as a family can lead to better family physical, emotional and mental health.”
Dr Demaio will be a panel member in a free public forum as part of the congress, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Monday 21st October from 5.45 pm – 7.30 pm. This panel will discuss how to improve eating behaviours in adolescence.
###
The biennial World Congress of the International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease is being held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 20th-23rd October 2019. Approximately 1,000 delegates from around the world will attend the Congress.
The International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease is a not for profit, international research society comprising scientists, doctors, health workers and public health experts, dedicated to studying how a healthy start to life can reduce the risk of developing many diseases, now and in the future. Members of the society work to improve the life-long health of every mother, father, and child, and create societies that provide healthy, safe and supportive environments.
Dr DeMaio is a panel member of the free public forum, ‘Adolescents: Investing in future generations’ at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Monday 21st October, 5:45 – 7:30pm. Registration for this event is available online at http://future-gen.com.au/.
Prof Overby will present her research on Tuesday October 22, 12:10 pm – 2:00 pm. Dr Vik will present her research on Monday October 21, 12:20 pm – 2:00 pm.
Media contacts
Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Australia and New Zealand
Associate Professor Nicolette Hodyl (Vice President) 0477 668 355 [email protected]
Dr Hayley Dickinson (Secretary) 0413 246 120 [email protected]
