As we all know children have their own likes and dislikes and can be incredibly stubborn about what they will and will not eat. No major surprise here, but I believe this study shows that parents have much more influence over their children's diet than they realize and that their setting an example is tremendously influential in their children's diet. The study found that what the parents consumed was the biggest influence on children's diets but eating together as a family, breast feeding and introducing a variety of fruits and vegetables early were also important factors.
The message of the study is something that most of us intuitively recognize: Parents really need to be aware that they can't eat unhealthily themselves and expect to get the (eat healthy) message over to their children. They have to set a good example. So let's clean up our act out there if we hope to have any major influence over our children's health.
Journal of Public Health March 2004