Activity and dietary habits of mothers and children: close ties.

OBJECTIVE

To examine associations between activity and dietary habits reported by mothers for themselves and their children aged 2 to 11 years.

DESIGN/METHODS: Cross-sectional, consecutive samples of parents at 13 primary care practices were surveyed on health behaviors. Survey questions were used to define 5 "healthy" habits: low-fat milk choice; low fast food use; low weekend screen time; low juice/sweet drinks intake; and high-frequency physical activity. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were applied.

RESULTS

Responses from a socioeconomically diverse group of 2115 mothers were analyzed. For each healthy behavior self-reported by the mother, the odds of the healthy behavior being reported for the child were significantly higher (range: odds ratio [OR] = 3.2 for high-frequency physical activity to OR = 19.7 for low-fat milk choice).

CONCLUSIONS

Mothers and children often have similar health habits. The impact of clinician counseling for children may be strengthened by promotion of healthy habits for their mothers.