It should come as no surprise that the more stressed parents are at work, the greater the burden on their family is. After all, the more time parents spend working, the less time and energy they have to plan and prepare healthful meals. Previously, most studies have focused on the role of working mothers while fathers were ignored. It adds a new wrinkle to the relationship between work stress and family nutrition. Mom's work related stress is still a central factor in how well families eat because they typically do most of the food shopping and cooking.
The study finds that when mom or dad experience high levels of work related stress, their families are eating one-and-a-half fewer family meals per week, and the parents themselves report eating fewer fruits and vegetables, more fast food, and are less likely to eat breakfast regularly.
It's worth noting that the study looks mainly at low income families who belong to ethnic or minority groups. But the implications are wide-ranging.
Teaching kids, especially teenagers, to help with grocery shopping and to cook actual meals, instead of just putting a frozen pizza in the microwave, could be an important piece of the puzzle in helping families improve their eating habits.
A. But dad's work related stress has a large impact, too.
B. As to family nutrition, the entire family plays a role, even kids.
C. Yet, the kid's stress may affect the families' nutrition, too.
D. So the findings don't necessarily apply directly to other types of families.
E. It's also probably not a surprise that this can negatively affect a family's nutrition.
F. Now, a study looks at the family as a whole and at the role of fathers in particular.
G. It is parents who give their kids a good model to develop a good eating habit.
