Raising kids who are kind and compassionate might come with an unexpected bonus: healthier eating habits in their teen years.
A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine followed children from age 5 to 17 and found that those who regularly engaged in “prosocial” behaviors, such as helping others, showing empathy and cooperating, were more likely to eat fruits and vegetables as teenagers.
Researchers analyzed data from the UK’s Millennium Cohort Study, which has tracked thousands of children since birth. Parents reported how often their child displayed kindness, caring and helpfulness at ages 5, 7 and 11. Years later, when the same children were 14 and 17, they reported their own eating habits.
The connection held even after accounting for early childhood eating habits and family factors like income, marital status and home environment. While the study can’t prove that kindness directly causes better diets, the researchers suggest that strong social skills and a sense of purpose may encourage healthier choices, even during the notoriously tricky teen years.
“Too often, we focus on what is going wrong in young people’s lives, but what we hear from them time and time again is that they are tired of that narrative,” said lead author Farah Qureshi, ScD, MHS, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “They want us adults to pay more attention to what is going right, including what they bring to their families and communities.”
Senior author Julia K. Boehm, PhD, of Chapman University, added that “prosocial behaviors, such as being considerate of others’ feelings, sharing, helping if someone is hurt or upset, being kind and volunteering to help others, can influence health by strengthening children’s social ties and improving psychological functioning.” Those social and emotional resources, she said, may in turn shape everyday health choices, including diet.
The takeaway for parents and educators: encouraging kindness and cooperation might not only strengthen character, but also help set the stage for healthier eating patterns that last into adulthood.
This research was supported by Chapman University and the American Heart Association.