Which family-based strategy is most likely to reduce positive energy balance and lower obesity risk in school-age children?

• A. Strictly prohibiting all treats and sending children to play outside unsupervised for the majority of the day, because extreme restriction is the only effective method to reduce intake.
• B. Relying solely on school interventions because family behaviors do not influence a child’s energy balance once they reach school age.
• C. Replacing family meals with single high-calorie supplement drinks to control calories precisely, since packaged supplements are easier to measure than whole foods.
• D. Parents modeling healthy eating and creating a home environment with portion-controlled meals, limited screen time, scheduled family physical activity, and readily available healthy snack alternatives; this multi-component approach addresses both intake and expenditure.

Answer: (D)