Beauty Forum Feb23 - Flipbook - Page 74
Are you a
Bad
grandparent?
Sugar, treats and everything sweet –
that’s what grandparents let the grandkids eat!
According to new research published in the
February 2023 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.”
73 % say they would address
their own parents but not their
partner’s parents
Less than half (43 percent)
indicate they would address
their partner’s parents
Only about a third of parents
(34 percent) confirm they would
address both their parents and
their partner’s parents
