3 of 4 Youngsters Turn Deaf Ear to ‘Eat Your Veggies’

Nearly three of four California children fail to eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, and two of three don’t think they need to, according to a study by the California Department of Health Services.

To put children back on track, state health officials launched a statewide fruit and vegetable campaign Tuesday at Universal Studios, aimed at improving children’s eating habits in order to reduce their chances of developing diet-related diseases such as some types of cancer.

“Prevention is powerful medicine,” said Dr. Cary A. Presant, president-elect of the American Cancer Society for the state of California.

More than half a million Americans die from cancer each year; one-third of those deaths are diet-related. Another third are smoking-related and about a fifth are alcohol-related, said Presant as he stood in front of a display of lemons, artichokes, grapes and carrots.

“Children need to realize that it’s their responsibility to learn that they can prevent cancer in the future,” Presant said. “Most cancers can be minimized by choosing healthy lifestyles now.”

The study was conducted last March and April. It involved asking 530 children, ages 9 to 11, how many servings of fruits and vegetables they eat daily.

“The results of the survey show us that in California, children are not eating enough healthy food,” said Dr. Molly Joel Coye, director of the California Department of Health Services. “They’re not even coming close.”

The study found that on the average, children eat 3.4 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. More than half the children surveyed could not remember trying any new fruits or vegetables lately.

In an effort to change those findings, the program will include nutritional campaigns at schools and supermarkets, and the distribution of brochures and public service announcements touting the “Five-a-Day” theme. Adding more fruits and vegetables to a child’s diet can be as simple as putting fruit on cereal or fixing carrot sticks as snacks, Presant said.

Officials hope that teaching children to improve their eating habits will rub off on parents, and that they too will eat more healthful food. In addition, the children will be more likely to pass on healthful lifestyles to their own children.

“They become the teacher of their parents and they’ll also one day become the teachers of their own children,” Presant said.

Peer pressure also is important, he said. The study found that although two-thirds of children think that they should eat more fruits and vegetables, they tend to shy away from them when playing with friends or eating at fast-food restaurants.

“There’s nothing better than to see one of your friends say, ‘No, I don’t want the hamburger, I want the salad,’ ” Presant said.

Income also appears to play a role in the amount of fruits and vegetables a child consumes. The study determined that in households with incomes under $40,000 a year, children are more likely to say that their parents “almost never” buy their favorite fruits and vegetables.

But the study also found that children from higher-income households eat fewer school-prepared meals, which may mean they are eating lunches with fewer fruits and vegetables.

Directed by the California Department of Health Services, the campaign is sponsored by the California Department of Education, the American Cancer Society--California Division Inc. and the California produce industry.