Children’s Empathy, Kindness Linked to Healthier Eating Habits as Teenagers
Researchers found that children who demonstrate kind, caring, and helpful behaviors are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables in their teen years.
A new study finds that children who display kind, caring, and helpful behavior between the ages of 5 and 11 are more likely to make healthier eating choices as teenagers.
The research team, led by Farah Qureshi, ScD, MHS '10, assistant professor in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, drew on data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative longitudinal dataset following more than 6,200 children in the United Kingdom from birth through adolescence.
The study was published online August 11 in the .
The researchers examined parent-reported prosocial behaviors—kindness, caring, cooperation—when children were ages 5, 7, and 11, and analyzed how these behaviors related to self-reported fruit and vegetable intake later, at ages 14 and 17. The study covered years 2005 to 2019. The researchers found that children who exhibited more frequent prosocial behavior were more likely to report healthier diets in adolescence.
Qureshi notes that fruit and vegetable intake during adolescence may signal important behavioral skills, like self-regulation, planning, and goal-setting. As teens gain more independence in their eating habits, choosing healthy options over tempting alternatives isn’t always easy, but doing so reflects habits and mindset that could benefit them for life.
The findings were consistent when considering prosocial behaviors across all three assessments in childhood. Taken together, these findings suggest that childhood prosocial behaviors may be a novel target for future interventions aimed at cultivating health promoting resources in youth.
Fostering kindness and empathy in children may offer a pathway for promoting healthier dietary habits and overall well-being across the life course. The study notes that these behaviors can be learned. This can happen within families by fostering warm and supportive relationships, or within broader systems, like schools.
“School-based programming focused on social and emotional learning is especially promising,” says Qureshi. “Starting in pre-school and kindergarten, children build competencies in emotional literacy, perspective taking, and empathy ... Our findings suggest that such skills not only support children’s social development and education but may also promote their long-term health.”
Qureshi hopes to explore when and for who these behaviors are beneficial—by looking at social and structural factors that may shape prosocial behaviors. “We are asking more nuanced questions about context,” she says. “Like whether being prosocial carries different implications for youth from marginalized communities, who experience a greater burden of structural barriers to health.”
The study was supported by the American Heart Association.
