Healthy Habits: The Parent Trap: When Life Interferes With Healthy Living

Work. Kids. Personal time. It’s no wonder the realities of life compete with parents’ ability to live healthier. What may be a surprise is that 56% of parents agree that setting a good example for their kids motivates them to practice healthy habits. So why aren’t they following through? And what can those in today’s food system do to help ease this burden?

SHS FoodThink’s latest white paper, “The Parent Trap: How Parental Time Constraints Prevent Healthy Lifestyles,” highlights the barriers and pressures to healthy living encountered by many parents. Key findings from SHS FoodThink’s paper offer further insight:

• 78 percent of parents agree it is important for the whole family to be together at mealtime.
• 57 percent of parents would eat healthier if it were more convenient.
• 52 percent of parents feel guilty when they don’t eat healthy.
• 37 percent of parents agree they are so busy that being active and eating healthy get put on the back burner.

“Many parents feel they have to choose between time spent eating healthier and time spent living their lives,” said Christy Niebaum, SHS FoodThink researcher. “This struggle is an opportunity for food marketers to provide healthy solutions that are easy to prepare, inspiring parents to balance family life and health.” 

Interestingly, the research shows a lack of time isn’t the only obstacle many parents encounter – they also identify limited preparation knowledge and the taste of healthier foods as barriers to healthy eating. And while their desire for convenience often outweighs their commitment to health, fast fixes can prompt even more guilt – parents don’t want dinner to look or taste like they took the easy way out.

To download the white paper, including recommendations for retailers, restaurants and food manufacturers to better meet consumer needs, visithttp://wehatesheep.com/foodthink/whitepaper/the-parent-trap/?utm_campaign=foodthink_whitepaper&utm_source=clients&utm_medium=email

SHS FoodThink white papers are built on proprietary research conducted in 2016 and utilize the responses from more than 2,000 U.S. consumers of diverse demographic backgrounds. 

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About Sullivan Higdon & Sink’s FoodThink:

Sullivan Higdon & Sink is a full-service advertising and marketing agency with offices in Kansas City, Mo. and Wichita, Kan. SHS is the agency known for hating sheeplike advertising that follows the flock. One of SHS’s core focus areas is food value chain marketing — promoting products all along the farm-to-table spectrum. In early 2016, SHS conducted the latest round of its SHS FoodThink research study monitoring how consumers think about what they eat and America’s relationship with food.