1. What is the minimum amount of physical activity (moderate to vigorous) that a school aged child should get each day?

a. 120 minutes
b. 30 minutes
c. 45 minutes
d. 60 minutes

Correct Answer: D

International physical activity guidelines indicate that young people should engage in at least 1–hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. This can include everyday activities such as walking to and from school, playing in the park, shooting hoops with friends, or structured activities such as playing sport. Note that 60 minutes is the “minimum” amount of time a child should be active, activity of up to several hours per day is encouraged!

2. What is the maximum amount of Screentime (TV and computer use, not including homework) school-aged children should engage in each day?

a. 2 hours
b. 5 hours
c. 4 hours
d. 7 hours

Correct Answer: A

International physical activity guidelines now include a limit of no more than 2 hours of screentime per day. Screentime includes TV, computer use and video games. These 2 hours do not include computer use that is for educational purposes such as doing homework. We know that if children are given the opportunity they will often replace sedentary TV time with being active, or reading and playing games that will develop their intellectual abilities. In the show we also extended this rule to include one screenfree day per week, this works well as it lessens the likelihood of children becoming dependent on TV or the computer for their leisure time activity.

3. What are the advantages of eating together at the dinner table with the TV turned off?

a. Your Mother-in-Law will think you are being a good parent
b. Communication and family bonding
c. Easier to clean up after dinner
d. The telephone will ring less

Correct Answer: B

This is an easy one! The trick is to actually do it as a rule rather than the exception. There are many benefits of eating together at the dinner table.

Research shows that eating as a family at the table can:

- Strengthen the family by providing opportunities for communication and building of relationships
- Enable children to have longer conversations with parents, which can increase their linguistic abilities, giving them an edge in the classroom
- Play an important role in helping teens cope with the stresses of adolescence
- Lead to better nutrition as you have more control over the quality and quantity of the family’s choices
- Enable children to adopt their parents attitudes to food and acceptable table manners

4. When introducing new foods to children, how many times should the food be presented before it is accepted that the child really does not care for that food?

a. 1 time only
b. 3 times, with a few days break between
c. 5 times over the course of 5 weeks
d. 10 times in varying different forms (e.g., mashed or boiled or grilled) over  a 6-month period

Correct Answer: D

Accepting that a child does not like a particular food on the first or second time it is offered is one of the biggest mistakes parents make concerning nutrition for their children. Children’s taste buds can take a while to adjust to a new taste or texture, the trick is to present the new food many many times in differing forms. Usually when this is done, WITHOUT MAKING A BIG FUSS, you will find your child will start to eat the “new” food. It is also important to remember to discuss healthy foods in a positive way as this will also make a big difference to whether your child will eat it or not.

5. At what age is it acceptable to introduce children to low-fat milk?

a. From 1 month
b. From 2 years of age
c. From 15 years of age
d. From 18 years of age

Correct Answer: B

Before the age of 2, infants should be breast fed or on a specially formulated infant formula. At 2 years of age when cows milk is introduced a low fat variety such as Lite Blue, green or yellow top should be selected as this will decrease the level of saturated fat consumed by the child. New Zealand children have no shortage of saturated fat in their diet and steps should be taken to eliminate this form of heart damaging fat wherever possible.

6. Who are the strongest and most influential role models in the lives of children?

a. School teachers
b. Friends
c. Parents or primary caregivers
d. Sports coaches

Correct Answer: C

A child’s parents or primary caregivers are the first and most influential role models in the lives of children. Children look to their parents to learn what acceptable behaviour is and what it is not. It is important to realise here that children learn the most from what they see parents do rather than what they say! As a child goes through adolescence the importance of friends in influencing behaviour grows, however the influence of parents is still strong.

7. Why are wholegrain and multigrain breads better for kid’s health?

a. Because they contain more fibre
b. Because they have a lower GI (Glycimic Index) than white bread
c. Brown breads are higher in thiamine (B1) than white breads
d. All of the above

Correct Answer: D

Wholegrain and multigrain bread cause less of a rise in blood sugar than white bread and this results in the in a more sustained release of energy. Brown breads are higher in fibre which helps improve bowel function and general intestinal health. They also contain more thiamine than white breads and are better for cardiovascular health as they contain more “healthy fats” (mono polyunsaturated).

8. Why is it important to have a daily routine and structure for children, especially regarding bedtimes?

a. Allows time in the evening for parents to spend time alone together
b. Ensures children get the necessary amount of sleep
c. A schedule will give structure and make it easier to make healthy choices (e.g., home cooked dinner rather than takeaways)
d. All of the above

Correct Answer: D

Having a planed schedule for the day is good for children as it allows them to know what to expect and more importantly what is expected of them. In households that are organised, children get more sleep and tend to have healthier diets. However perhaps one of the main benefits of having a daily routine is that kids tend to go to bed earlier and this leaves valuable time for mum and dad to communicate with each other.

9. Why is it important to encourage children to help prepare dinner and learn to cook?

a. Because it will teach children that life is hard work
b. Because it will teach children to behave better
c. Because they will learn about nutrition and are more likely to try new foods
d. Because it will encourage them to become a master chef

Correct Answer: C

Cooking is an important life skill. There are many reasons why the children should learn to cook:

- It will help them to learn about what they are eating and will encourage them to eat healthy food.
- They will learn about nutrition, helping them to make healthy food choices later in life.
- Learning to make their own food will give them a sense of responsibility for their own nutrition; additionally, they will be more likely to eat what they make.
- It will help them to develop self-confidence, independence and a sense of responsibility.

10. Giving positive (rewards) and negative (punishment) reinforcement helps to modify behaviour in children. What are the most effective rewards and punishments?

a. Praise and smacking
b. Money and timeout
c. Praise and withdrawal of privileges
d. Food treats and ignoring the behaviour

Correct Answer: C

While praise is always good, combing this with smacking for unwanted behaviour teaches children to use force to get what they want. Smacked children change their behaviour out of fear whereas unsmacked children are more likely to change behaviour on the basis of right and wrong. Timeout is a good option for parents but not combined with the reward of money. Ignoring behaviour is also a good technique and similar to timeout but it is never a good idea to use food to reinforce good behaviour as it implies that food that is not chocolate or lollies etc must not be a good thing. Praise for encouraging behaviour you want to see repeated and the withdrawal of privileges (e.g., TV or going to grandma’s etc) for unwanted behaviour, work well.

Mum and dad need to work together as a team

- Back each other up when you ask for something to be done
- Show the children that you both support each other
- If mum has said no then dad MUST say no too… and vice versa
- Reinforce positive behavior from the boys – be lavish with your praise!
- Enforce consequences when things are not done – be consistent and never give in when you have set up a consequence