ABSTRACT
Parents often struggle with how best to address eating and weight related issues with their children. Many parents ask how they can help their children to have a healthy dietary intake, a healthy body weight and a positive self-image. In working with parents a careful balance needs to be created between helping parents recognize the important role they play in shaping their children's eating behaviors, physical activity patterns and body image, and avoiding feelings of blame if problems do develop. It can be helpful to explore with parents the many layers of influence that impact on children's weight. Layers of influence include: children’s individual characteristics, family influences, for example, weight related discussions at home and so on, peer influences, for example, peer dieting, school factors, for example, bullying policies, community factors, for example, the presence of local fast food restaurants and media messages.
