An article published online by the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health says that in a study that they conducted, children whose mothers worked full-time or part time were more likely to have unhealthy eating habits than those whose mothers stayed at home.
Apart from the differences in eating habits between children of employed and unemployed moms, the study also revealed that children of working mothers were more likely to have two or more hours more watching TV or playing computer games, to drink sweetened drinks, and to be driven to school rather than walk or ride the bike.
This study’s results is not alarming. Because of time constraints, mothers who juggle their time with work and family are having difficulty in providing a meal with a balanced nutritive value. Most meals take time to prepare so working moms who have less time at home would give their children easy to cook or instant meals. Also, these mothers spend less time at home so they cannot control the activities of their children when they are away.
Home settings with working mothers are inevitable, especially during this time when there is a need for more financial resources. What nurses can do in this situation is to help parents support a positive health behavior in their children. Help parents teach their children to choose what they eat and teach parents on food choices. For example, instead of filling the pantry with sweets and chips, buy fruits that can easily be eaten or foods that are easy to eat but still high in nutrients.
School nurses can also develop a health teaching program where they highlight the importance of having healthy eating habits and physical activity including the bad effects of unhealthy foods in later life like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, which are the top health problems in the US today.
