Study Reveals Grandparents Spoil Grandchildren with Sugar-loaded Foods and Drinks
February 13, 2023
Introduction:
(EurekAlert) CHICAGO, February 13, 2023 — Sugar, treats and everything sweet – that’s what grandparents let the grandkids eat. According to new research published in the February issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), more than two thirds (72%) of mothers indicated that grandparents give their young children sugary foods and beverages. Mothers typically described that grandparents fed large amounts of cariogenic, or cavity-causing, foods and beverages (for example, candy, baked goods, juice, and soda) or did not limit their grandchildren’s consumption of cariogenic foods and beverages.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, West Virginia University and the University of Michigan conducted an in-person, two-year study of 126 participants to examine which factors influenced mothers to talk with grandparents about giving grandchildren sugary foods and beverages.
The results, published in JADA, show that of even though 72% of mothers said their children’s grandparents give them sugary foods and beverages, only slightly more than half (51%) addressed the issue with grandparents. Factors that influenced whether mothers had this conversation included:
• The frequency at which the grandparents and children interacted
• The mothers’ dependency on grandparents for childcare
• The quantity of sugary foods and beverages provided by grandparents
• The strength of the relationship between mothers and their children’s grandparents
"I have many happy memories of raiding the candy jar at my own grandparents’ house, and as a parent, I’ve hesitated with some of these talks myself,” said ADA spokesperson Dr. Genaro Romo, a Chicago-based dentist. “Yet, cavities are the most common chronic childhood disease and can cause undue pain, as well as issues with speaking, eating, playing and learning. Over time, in addition to dental health concerns, a diet with excess added sugars puts kids at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, and obesity, among other health concerns.”
Read more of the
EurekAlert article here:
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/979442
For the results of the study as presented in JADA:
https://jada.ada.org/article/S0002-817 ... /fulltext
caltrek’s comment: Another reason for people of the grandparent generation to unjustifiably resent the findings of modern science?
Don't mourn, organize.
-Joe Hill