In a recent survey sponsored by the YMCA, 9 out of 10 parents rated themselves as good or excellent at providing a healthy home environment. But there’s something amiss: while 89% of parents think they are providing the right tools for their kids to lead a healthy life, fully one-third of children in the U.S. are overweight or obese. What gives? A closer look at the responses to the poll may help illuminate where American parents commonly make health-related mistakes.
5 Ways Parents May Be Sabotaging Their Kids’ Health
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In a recent survey sponsored by the YMCA, 9 out of 10 parents of children aged 5 to 10 rated themselves as good or excellent at providing a healthy home environment. But there's something amiss: while 89% of parents think they are providing the right tools for their kids to lead a healthy life, fully one-third of children in the U.S. are overweight or obese. What gives? A closer look at the responses to the poll may help illuminate where parents commonly make health-related mistakes. For starters, physical health ranks relatively low on many parents' list of priorities: 42% of the 1,630 parents polled said their main concern was their children's financial security, not their cardiovascular or weight-related health. Moral and ethical values and education also won out over physical fitness and well-being. The economic downturn also plays a role at home, with 38% of parents saying that extracurricular activities were too expensive to afford. And many parents (42%) said they found it difficult to battle the pull of the electronic devices like computers and cell phones they provided their kids, which encourage sedentary leisure time. Next: Junk Food
