Parental Awareness of Calorie Recommendations for Children

Abstract

On average, school‐age children (5‐12 years) should consume 蠄600 kcal per lunch/dinner (L/D) meal. Parental awareness of this recommendation is critical to prevent overconsumption and ensure effective use of posted kcal information, which will become widely available under the Affordable Care Act. In 2014 Harris Interactive/Nielsen was commissioned to administer a nationally‐representative online survey to parents of children aged 5‐12 in the US to assess awareness of the recommendation. A total of 1,207 parents completed the survey (58.0% female; mean age 40.9 years). Sampling weights based on socio‐demographics were incorporated in all analyses. In response to an open‐ended question about how many kcal a “typical child aged 5‐12 years” should consume per L/D meal, only 27% of parents answered accurately (defined as 600±100 kcal). 72% of these respondents were somewhat (32%) or very (40%) unsure of their answer, while 28% were somewhat (24%) or very (4%) sure. Non‐Hispanic parents (OR: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.33, 2.79), male parents (OR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.84), and parents in the highest income bracket (OR: 2.68, 95% CI: 1.72, 4.16) were more likely to answer accurately than were Hispanic parents, female parents, and parents in the lowest income bracket, respectively. Ongoing analyses are exploring additional demographic differences to inform efforts to address health disparities. Results demonstrate that most parents are unaware of kcal recommendations per L/D meal for school‐age children, suggesting that parent education is needed to improve awareness and maximize the impact of expanded menu labeling. Targeted strategies may be needed to reach certain demographic subgroups so that such efforts address, rather than widen, health disparities. JPB Foundation, RWJF