Abstract 211: Influence of Parental Education on Nutritional and Lifestyle Choices of Project Healthy Schools Students

Abstract

Background: Prior research has shown that dietary beliefs and activity levels of parents significantly mediate dietary and physical behaviors of their children. However, there is limited research regarding the influence of parental education on children’s health. This study analyzes the differences in dietary and lifestyle behaviors of 6th grade students with more educated parents compared to those with less educated parents. Methods: Data were taken from 6048 students in 41 schools involved in Project Healthy Schools (PHS), a middle school-based intervention program in Michigan. Students were divided into two groups based on their parents’ education levels, as selected in a health behavior survey given to the students. Students were included in the “More Educated” group if they had at least one parent with a college or Master’s/Professional degree. Students with neither parent having completed a college degree were classified as the “Less Educated” group. Students’ baseline survey responses to nutritional and lifestyle questions were compared using a Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Results: Students with more educated parents reported eating more fruits and vegetables per day, exercising more frequently, and spending less time in front of a screen. The more educated group were more likely to eat breakfast (0.70 vs. 0.53 on a 0-3 scale p<.0001), less likely to eat school lunch (1.11 vs 1.39 on a 0-2 scale; p<.0001), and less likely to have a TV in their bedroom (0.53 vs. 0.70 on a 0-1 scale; p<.0001). Conclusions: It was observed that students with more educated parents made healthier dietary choices, exercised more often, spent less time in front of screens, and participated more often in other healthy lifestyle choices. These observations may be partially attributed to higher income levels in more educated parents, which may increase students’ access to healthier resources; however, this study certainly highlights the importance of parental influence on a child’s health. Future efforts will encourage more parental involvement in Project Healthy Schools.