Children who eat the same meals as their parents are far more likely to have healthy diets than those who do not, according to research.

Eating the same food had a greater impact on a young child's health than any other factor, including social background and snacking between meals.

Dr. Valeria Skafida, at the Center for Population Health Sciences at Edinburgh University, also found that firstborn children had healthier diets than second or third born. In light of the study, which looked at 2,000 five-year-olds, the paper recommends that government advice to families should be kept simple to help establish good eating habits early.