As children and adolescents across Illinois gear up for trick-or-treating, costumes and candy this Halloween, the latest Voices of Child Health report from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago finds the majority of Illinois parents take steps to ensure a healthy and safe Halloween.
The latest survey conducted in October 2024 by surveying over 1,000 parents across the state found:
Illinois parents reported that they take steps to ensure a safe and healthy Halloween such as checking their child’s candy (60 percent) and setting rules for how much candy their child can eat each day (67 percent). Parents reported feeling concerned about some of the negative health effects of eating too much candy for their children including the effects on physical health (32 percent), the effects on behavior (36 percent), and the effects on their children’s teeth (46 percent).
“It is a good idea to set limits for the amount of candy children can have each day to avoid the negative effects of too much candy like tummy aches. It is also a good idea to have children brush their teeth after eating candy, especially candy that is sticky like gummy bears. This will help to avoid problems with oral health like cavities,” said Marie Heffernan, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine and Director of Voices of Child Health at Lurie Children’s.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines say children 2 years old and up should eat no more than six teaspoons (or 25 grams) of added sugar each day, which means about two fun-sized pieces of candy.
Parents also worried that Halloween candy may contain an ingredient that their child is allergic to (11 percent). Families who are handing out Halloween candy can place a teal pumpkin at their front door to indicate that they have non-food treats available for children with food allergies.
Some parents reported that they donate leftover Halloween candy. Parents can look for nonprofit organizations and dentist offices that will accept Halloween candy donations. Parents can also donate their pumpkins after the holiday through local composting or pumpkin smash events. These help to dispose of pumpkins in an environmentally friendly way and keep them out of landfills.
The report provides a list of tips from The American Academy of Pediatrics for a healthy and safe Halloween such as:
The report is based on data from the Voices of Child Health Parent Panel Survey. The survey is administered to a sample of Illinois parents by Lurie Children’s and NORC at the University of Chicago via internet and phone in English and Spanish. The data in this report were collected in October 2024. The sample consisted of 1,078 Illinois parents, stepparents, or guardians who had at least one child under 18 in the household (referred to as “parents” in this report). Parents were from urban and rural communities in the state. The survey completion rate was 35%. All analyses were conducted with statistical weighting so that the results are representative of the Illinois population.
Population-focused child health research at Lurie Children’s is conducted through the Mary Ann & J. Milburn Smith Child Health Outcomes, Research, and Evaluation Center at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute. Manne Research Institute is focused on improving child health, transforming pediatric medicine and ensuring healthier futures through the relentless pursuit of new knowledge. Lurie Children’s is ranked as one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals in U.S. News & World Report and is the pediatric training affiliate for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Last year, the hospital served more than 221,000 children from 47 states and 30 countries.
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