25th June 2019
Obesity a major concern for parents
FMCG Gurus Early Life Nutrition survey series shows that parents have a variety of concerns about the health of their children. The survey of 10,000 parents with children aged 14 and under found that 42% are concerned about their children being overweight. Linked to this, 48% are concerned about the amount of screen time their children have. Parents can often feel that they are not doing enough to maximize the health of their children. For instance, household structures are changing, and the number of single-parent households continues to grow, add to this longer hours and personal and professional obligations and it means parents do not always have as much time as they want with their children. Additionally, a reliance on technology to keep children entertained and convenience food to easily feed families is also something that will contribute to such concerns.
When it comes to diets, 57% of parents say they are concerned about the sugar intake of their offerings. This was the main dietary evil compared to other ingredients such as additives (53%) and fat (50%). This shows that whilst much attention has been given to society looking to reduce sugar intake, parents are still concerned about their children consuming the ingredient excessively. This is something that will be linked to the mealtime and snacking habits of their children.
When it comes to ingredients that parents deem important for their children, calcium (70%) and protein (67%) top the list. This shows that parents want products with ingredients that are deemed to develop children both physically and from a cognitive perspective.
The research shows that whilst much has been done in the food, drink and supplement industry in past decades to help children lead a healthier lifestyle, more needs to be done to help parents monitor and control their children’s diets and lifestyles.
For more details on our early life nutrition reports: Click Here