Children’s requests for unhealthy foods: Influencing factors and implications for food consumption
Year: 2016
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background Rates of obesity in children and adolescents represent a significant global public health issue. Although children’s requests for unhealthy foods have been identified as an important factor influencing the quality of children’s diets, little is known about the various factors influencing these requests. The present study aimed to examine and model the various factors associated with children’s requests for unhealthy foods to identify relevant environmental factors and inform the development of interventions designed to address current high levels of child obesity. Methods An online survey was administered via web panel to 1302 Australian parent-child dyads. This survey contained various items that are proposed to be associated with children’s requests for unhealthy foods. Variables identified as being significant potential predictors of children's requests for unhealthy foods and their subsequent consumption of these foods were incorporated into a model that included both parents' and children's reports of children's requests for unhealthy foods. This model was assessed via structural equation modelling. Results The analyses included a wide range of demographic, attitudinal, and behavioural variables. The model accounted for a substantial proportion of the variance in both parent-reported and child-reported unhealthy food request frequency. This model provides a comprehensive account of the ways in which various aspects of children’s environments contribute to the extent to which they request unhealthy foods. Conclusions These results provide insights into the environmental variables that can be modified to reduce children’s requests for unhealthy foods. Developing interventions to address these variables has the potential to improve children’s diets and reduce their risk of child obesity. Such interventions also have the potential to increase family harmony, thereby enhancing families’ quality of life. Key messages: Various modifiable factors are associated with the frequency of children's requests for unhealthy foods Understanding the relative influence of these factors can assist in the development of effective interventions to reduce the risk of child obesity
Authors: S Pettigrew, M Jongenelis, K Chapman, C Miller
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2588214943