Kids can be picky eaters — there’s no news there. In fact, 35% of parents who responded to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health described their child as picky.
In addition, 31% said their kid did not eat enough fruits and vegetables; 13% did not get enough of certain vitamins and minerals; and 9% did not get enough fiber.
To ensure their child gets the right balance of vitamins and minerals, parents have been giving them supplements since the days of Flintstones chewable vitamins. The Mott survey found that even parents who say their kid eats a well-balanced diet — 53% — still regularly provide a supplement. Of parents who believe their child’s diet is not balanced, 51% regularly give them a supplement.
“Most parents have given their child dietary supplements, including multivitamins (78%), probiotics (45%), Omega 3 (22%) or specific vitamins (44%) or minerals (25%),” poll results state. “Half of parents (52%) say their child regularly takes a supplement and 33% say their child has tried but does not take them regularly. Among parents who have given their child supplements, 80% say they chose products made specifically for children, and 43% say they discussed supplement use with their child’s health care provider.”
Go online or into many stores, and you’ll find myriad dietary supplements marketed for children. But ensuring that a child receives proper nutrition isn’t as simple as giving them a multivitamin each morning.
“Parents in this Mott Poll indicated that factors important to their decision were whether the supplements worked well, caused few side effects, and were made for children,” the poll’s sponsors stated. “Since supplements are classified by the FDA as food, they do not receive the same premarketing evaluation and review as medications; thus there is limited information to assess the safety and efficacy of supplements, or to know the side effects they may cause. It is unclear if parents recognize that supplements do not undergo rigorous FDA testing and approval.”
Parents can’t be sure if they are providing the right amount of necessary vitamins and minerals, which is why consultation with a pediatrician or other health care provider is important. But poll results showed only 47% of higher income (more than $100,000 annual salary) were likely to talk to their child’s doctor about this, and only 39% of lower income (less than $50,000) were.
“Providers should be diligent about discussing nutrition with all parents, to ensure parents have adequate knowledge about what a healthy diet should include and are using supplements appropriately. In situations where families cannot afford to provide a healthy diet, providers may direct parents to social service programs that assist in this area,” the poll’s sponsors concluded.
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