Women more likely than men to steal Halloween candy from their babies, study finds

Though parents preach moderation, a recent survey for the National Confectioners Association shows seven in 10 adults break into the Halloween treats before Oct. 31, often resulting in a need to restock before the big night. And it seems they’re only setting themselves up for failure, with nearly two-thirds purchasing their personal candy favourites.

After Halloween, the picture gets even less flattering: Skimming from their kids’ haul are eight in 10 parents, more than a quarter of which do so while the youngsters are sleeping or at school.

“Just 19 per cent of parents said they didn’t take anything at all, which to me means at least 18 per cent were lying,” said NCA spokeswoman Susan Whiteside, laughing. “More and more, Halloween is becoming something people don’t want to give up as they get older.”

Rachel Day, a host on Edmonton’s Now Radio, admits that she and husband Tyler made short work of their first box of candy and are now trying to resist opening a second.

“We knew that first box was doomed the moment we bought it,” said Day. “There are, like, five Caramilks left out of the 150-count box.”

Her daughter, who’s a year and a half, isn’t trick-or-treating yet; in fact, she’s not even allowed to eat candy. But when that time comes, Day plans to uphold a (proud?) family tradition sure to keep the girl on her toes.

“My parents always said, ‘Oh, we’re checking your candy,’” said Day. “They weren’t checking it. They were taking the best stuff for themselves.”

According to the NCA, women are likelier to pilfer candy, or enforce a house rule that mandates candy-sharing, than men: 84 per cent versus 74 per cent. But Whiteside suggests the phenomenon is related more closely to ritual than gender.

“Baby boomers were really the first generation to celebrate Halloween the way we do today, with trick-or-treating,” said Whiteside. “So when they grew up and had kids — and now grandkids — we ended up with a population of people who don’t remember a time when candy wasn’t part of the fall tradition.” 

Indeed, obesity researcher Alfonso Abizaid describes Halloween as a “celebration plastered with cues that lead us to indulge.” That is, the cumulative sight of pumpkins, costumes, and other hallmarks of the season evokes happy memories of bygone candy binges.

“It’s no different than it is for the rats in our labs,” said Abizaid, associate professor of neuroscience at Carleton University. “If you present them with lights, and these lights are followed by treats, they learn to associate treats with that cue: they see the light and instantly get excited.”

Statistics Canada reports that sales of candy, confectionary and snacks at large retailers reached nearly $361 million in October 2012, compared to the monthly average of $282.4 million.

The good news is that the nation’s adults are on higher — if somewhat shaky — moral ground when it comes to candy consumption. Among those aged 19 and older, the proportion of sugar intake from confectionary products is roughly half that of kids aged nine to 18: 5.3 per cent compared to 10.3 per cent (for children one to eight, it’s 8.7 per cent).

It’s the “fun size” of Halloween treats that trips up the older crowd, according to Abizaid.

“Because they’re smaller, we tend to eat more of them,” he explained. “We get a false sense of how many calories we’re consuming.”

The online survey for the NCA was conducted by 210 Analytics, with 1,335 Americans, between Aug 2 and Aug 6. Results are considered accurate within 2.7 percentage points.

mharris@postmedia.com

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