Do Parents Really Know What Their Kids Are Eating?

Youth Radio reporter Chantell Williams likes to munch on Popchips, which are marketed as a healthy snack.

Brett Myers
/ Youth Radio

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Originally published on August 8, 2013 4:09 pm

After school and evening are "crunch time" for most families. It's the time when crucial decisions get made that affect kids' fitness and weight. And that includes snacking.

To get an idea of what parents thought their kids were doing during this time, NPR conducted a poll with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. Youth Radio's Chantell Williams talked about the findings with teens and their parents.

Deborah Richards from Oakland, Calif., thinks she has a handle on her son Donta's eating habits.

"He's fussy but he eats healthy," she says.eating better — then you're body will begin to tell you what it needs.

This week we're exploring how kids eat and exercise after school and after dinnertime. These can be crunch times for many families when crucial decisions get made that affect kids fitness and weight. NPR asked parents about kids' eating habits in a poll conducted with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health.

One question was about snacks. And the poll found that parents may not be as tuned in to their kid's eating habits as they think. Youth Radio's Chantell Williams talked this with some teens and their parents.

CHANTELL WILLIAMS, BYLINE: Deborah Richards, from Oakland, California, thinks she has a handle on her son Donta's eating habits.

DEBORAH RICHARDS: He's fussy but