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In a groundbreaking study led by Cornell University, researchers discovered that providing children with more nutritious meals can support healthier weight management, even if it doesn’t transform them into vegetable enthusiasts. The study, one of the largest dietary interventions focused on young people, tracked nearly 300 lower-income families in the U.K. over three years, aiming to examine how dietary changes influence body mass index (BMI).
For 12 weeks, more than 100 families received ingredients and recipes for five nutritionist-designed meals each week, delivered directly to their homes. Another group of around 70 families was encouraged to eat three meals a day at regular times and limit snacking—an approach that researchers identified as potentially crucial in combating obesity, especially in vulnerable populations. A control group continued with their usual eating habits.
The results revealed that while neither the “meal” nor “snack” approaches significantly impacted the adults’ BMI, changes were evident among the children aged 2 to 6 when the study commenced. In fact, the number of children in higher BMI percentiles decreased in both intervention groups, while it increased among the control group. Notably, the positive effects were sustained over three years for families receiving meal kits, whereas improvements faded after a year for those who attempted to limit snacking—a strategy that participants found challenging to maintain.
According to Michèle Belot, professor in the Department of Economics and lead author of the study published in the Journal of Political Economy: Microeconomics, the findings empower parents to influence their children’s health positively without needing to impose unwanted foods. “It’s not that the children suddenly started preferring and demanding broccoli and salads,” Belot explained. “Rather, parents seem to have decided to change what they put on children’s plates, restricting a bit their access to unhealthy foods.”
The researchers highlighted that many previous studies have focused on isolated dietary choices over shorter time frames, making this study unique in its comprehensive approach to examining dietary interventions for young children and their families at home. They also noted that influencing dietary habits early in life may yield the most significant long-term benefits.
Interestingly, while the study observed an increase in children’s interest in sweets over the three years, the parents’ food purchasing habits changed significantly, resulting in a notable drop of 5 percentage points in the highest BMI percentile for children in the intervention groups compared to the control group.
The authors propose that subsidized meal delivery services could effectively combat childhood obesity in lower-income families living in “food deserts,” where access to healthy foods is limited. Belot emphasized the importance of parental control over children’s plates, asserting that, “if children are hungry, they will eat.”
The study’s co-authors include Noémi Berlin from Université Paris Nanterre, Jonathan James from the University of Bath, and Valeria Skafida from the University of Edinburgh.
For further details, refer to the study: Michèle Belot et al, Changing Dietary Habits Early in Life: A Field Experiment with Low-Income Families, Journal of Political Economy Microeconomics (2024). DOI: 10.1086/732126.
