Kinder children may develop healthier eating habits
Children who are prosocial—engaging in behaviors such as being kind, caring, and cooperative—are more likely to eat healthier when they become teenagers, according to a study.
The study was published August 11 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM). Laura Kubzansky, professor of social and behavioral sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, was a co-author.
“Prosociality can influence health by strengthening children’s social ties and … by promoting better mood, purpose, feelings of competence, and enhanced capacity to cope with stress,” the authors wrote. “All of these, in turn, serve as resources that may inform health-related choices.”
The researchers analyzed data from over 6,200 youth who took part in the United Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study between 2005-2019. The study measured levels of prosocial behaviors when the participants were 5, 7, and 11 years old, as well as daily fruit and vegetable consumption at ages 14 and 17. The researchers found that youth who engaged more in prosocial behaviors were more likely to eat healthy levels of fruits and vegetables throughout adolescence.
“Supporting prosociality in childhood may be a promising health promotion strategy for future consideration,” said Kubzansky in an AJPM press release about the study.
Read the study: Kind Kids, Healthy Teens: Child Prosociality and Fruit and Vegetable Intake
Read the AJPM press release: Cultivating Compassion in Children Can Lead to Healthier Eating Habits
