Effects of Peer Models' Food Choices and Eating Behaviors on Preschoolers' Food Preferences

1980 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leann Lipps Birch
Keyword(s):  
Eating Behaviors ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Peer Models

scholarly journals Perceptions of Factors Influencing Diet and Eating Behaviors Among Latinx Middle School Students (P04-113-19)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Masek ◽  
Lela Wiliams ◽  
Elizabeth Lorenzo ◽  
Beatriz Vega-Luna ◽  
Hector Valdez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Eating Behaviors ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Peer Pressure ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Family Level ◽  
At Home

Abstract Objectives To better understand how Latinx middle school youth perceive the family- and environment-related factors that influence their diet and eating behaviors. Methods Five gender-stratified focus groups (3 with females, 2 with males) with 37 Latinx seventh grade students (54% female) were conducted. The guided discussion included questions about participants’ food choices, the role of their parents in their diet, the way diet and food are discussed at home, and healthy body-related concerns among their peers. Focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded in NVivo on the basis of specificity, extensiveness, frequency, and emotionality. Themes emerged from group dialogue; detailed conversations and predominant topics of discussion were noted. Results Youth identified several home- and family-level factors influencing their eating behaviors and food preferences, including parental/caregiver modeling, home food availability, and household budgetary constraints. Within the home, youth described a limited ability to participate in decisions regarding food choices, meal planning, meal preparation, and communicating with their caregivers about food preferences. Some youth expressed frustration due to perceiving that other family members were given alternative food options during meals. Youth were interested in eating healthier foods, but those options were not always available at home. Healthy foods at school were described as poorly prepared, and not always available. Youth reported experiencing peer pressure regarding healthy or unhealthy food selection, body image, and fitness level, and reported awareness of the use of unhealthful eating behaviors (e.g., restrictive eating, dieting, purging) as coping strategies. Conclusions Family- and household-related factors emerged as important factors that influence youth dietary behaviors. Youth expressed they would eat more nutritious foods if they had more options, if the food was well prepared, and they were given more autonomy over their food and meal choices. Future diet interventions should incorporate strategies to address family-level and environmental factors that influence dietary intake in this vulnerable population. Funding Sources Funded by NIMHD.

scholarly journals Food Preferences and Food Choice Determinants in a Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2491
Author(s):  
Dominika Głąbska ◽  
Dominika Skolmowska ◽  
Dominika Guzek
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Food Choice ◽  
Food Preference ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Population Based ◽  
School Students ◽  
High Preference ◽  
Quota Sampling ◽  
Food Choice Motives

Food preferences are within the most important determinants of food choices; however, little is known about their complex associations, and no studies were conducted in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was to analyze the association between food preferences and food choice determinants in adolescents aged 15–20 years within the Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study. The PLACE-19 Study included a random quota sampling conducted in the whole of Poland and covered a population-based sample of 2448 secondary school students. The food preferences were assessed using a validated Food Preference Questionnaire (FPQ), and the food choices were assessed using a validated Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). The statistical analysis comprised k-means clustering and linear regression adjusted for sex and age. Four homogenous clusters of respondents were defined based on the food choice motives—“healthy eaters” (health as the most important determinant of food choices), “hedonists” (convenience, sensory appeal, and price as the most important determinants), “indifferent consumers” (low significance for all determinants), and “demanding consumers” (high significance for all determinants). The preferences for all food categories differed when comparing between clusters presenting various food choice determinants (p < 0.001). The “healthy eaters” were characterized by the highest preference for vegetables; the “hedonists” preferred meat/fish, dairy, and snacks; the “demanding consumers” had a high preference for all food categories, while “indifferent consumers” had a low preference for all food categories. All preference scores were positively associated with mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, and price (p < 0.05). The results confirmed the association between food preferences and food choice determinants in adolescents, as well as allowed adolescents to be clustered into segments to define various needs and motives among the identified segments. For public health purposes, it may be crucial to educate “hedonists,” with a high preference for meat/fish, dairy and snacks, accompanied by convenience, sensory appeal, and price as the most important determinants of their food choices.

scholarly journals Women’s perceptions of factors influencing their food shopping choices and how supermarkets can support them to make healthier choices

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Preeti Dhuria ◽  
Wendy Lawrence ◽  
Sarah Crozier ◽  
Cyrus Cooper ◽  
Janis Baird ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Food Shopping ◽  
Women’S Perceptions

Abstract Objectives To examine women’s perceptions of factors that influence their food shopping choices, particularly in relation to store layout, and their views on ways that supermarkets could support healthier choices. Design This qualitative cross-sectional study used semi-structured telephone interviews to ask participants the reasons for their choice of supermarket and factors in-store that prompted their food selections. The actions supermarkets, governments and customers could take to encourage healthier food choices were explored with women. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify key themes. Setting Six supermarkets across England. Participants Twenty women customers aged 18–45 years. Results Participants had a median age of 39.5 years (IQR: 35.1, 42.3), a median weekly grocery spend of £70 (IQR: 50, 88), and 44% had left school aged 16 years. Women reported that achieving value for money, feeling hungry, tired, or stressed, and meeting family members’ food preferences influenced their food shopping choices. The physical environment was important, including product quality and variety, plus ease of accessing the store or products in-store. Many participants described how they made unintended food selections as a result of prominent placement of unhealthy products in supermarkets, even if they adopted more conscious approaches to food shopping (i.e. written or mental lists). Participants described healthy eating as a personal responsibility, but some stated that governments and supermarkets could be more supportive. Conclusions This study highlighted that in-store environments can undermine intentions to purchase and consume healthy foods. Creating healthier supermarket environments could reduce the burden of personal responsibility for healthy eating, by making healthier choices easier. Future research could explore the interplay of personal, societal and commercial responsibility for food choices and health status.

“Most of them are junk food but we did put fruit on there and we have water”

2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Waddingham ◽  
Stella Stevens ◽  
Kate Macintyre ◽  
Kelly Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Canteen

Purpose – The Australian Dietary Guidelines support good health and disease prevention. Children with healthy eating habits established early in life have been shown to continue these habits into adulthood compared with those children who have poor eating habits in their younger years. The nutritional intake of many Australian children is not in accordance with the national guidelines. The reasons children make the food choices they do are unclear from the literature. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This study used participatory action research methods to explore why primary school-aged children make the food choices that they do. A non-government primary school requested assistance in encouraging their children to make healthier choices from the school canteen menu. The authors gathered opinions from the children in two different ways; a group discussion during class and a “discovery day” that involved four class grades. The authors identified children’s food preferences and food availability in canteens. The authors explored how the children perceived healthy foods, the importance of a healthy food environment and what criteria children use to decide what foods to buy. Findings – Children’s food preferences were mostly for unhealthy foods, and these were readily available in the canteen. The perception about what foods were healthy was limited. Despite being asked to develop a “healthy” menu, the majority of choices made by the children were not healthy. Children described unhealthy choices as preferable because of taste of the food, if it was sugary, if it was quick to eat, available and cheap, the relationship of food and weather, the connection to health conditions and peer dominance. Practical implications – This study suggests that children make their food choices based on simple concepts. The challenge lies around producing healthy options in collaboration with the school community that match the children’s food choice criteria. Originality/value – This paper provides a modern and inspiring whole school approach based on equity and empowerment of the children. Discovering why children make food choices from the children’s perspective will help to present healthy options that will be more appealing for children. The methodology used to uncover why children make their food choices has also provided valuable insight into a study design that could be used to address other childhood research questions. The methodology offers an educative experience while gathering rich information directly from the children. This information can be used by the school to support children to have more control over their health and to develop behaviours to increase their health for the rest of their lives.

scholarly journals An experimental study on the effects of exposure to magazine advertising on children's food choices

2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 1337-1344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra C Jones ◽  
Lisa Kervin
Keyword(s):  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Snack Food ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Children's Magazines ◽  
Food Advertisements ◽  
Effects On Children

AbstractObjectiveThe present study sought to determine the feasibility of an experimental research design to investigate the effects of exposure to magazine advertising on children's food choices.DesignChildren were randomized to read either a magazine with food advertisements or a magazine with no food advertisements. They then chose two food items from the intervention ‘store’ to eat after the session. Data were also collected on attitudes to advertising and snack food preferences. Finally, participants’ parents were provided with a self-completion survey on food choices and other variables (n24).SettingThree vacation care centres in regional New South Wales, Australia.SubjectsChildren aged 5–12 years (n47).ResultsChildren in the experimental condition were more likely to choose advertised foods than those in the control group. Interestingly, the majority reported taste and healthiness as the most important factors in snack food choices; however, when faced with the actual food choice, they predominantly chose unhealthy foods (eighty-two unhealthy and only twelve healthy items were chosen).ConclusionsThis was the first study to assess the effects on children of exposure to food advertising within the context of reading a child-targeted magazine. Importantly, even with the small sample size and venue limitations, we found that exposure to magazine advertising influenced food choices. Children's magazines are an under-researched and poorly regulated medium, with considerable potential to influence children's food choices. The present study shows that the methodology is feasible, and future studies could replicate this with larger samples.

scholarly journals The child brain computes and utilizes internalized maternal choices

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung-Lark Lim ◽  
J. Bradley C. Cherry ◽  
Ann M. Davis ◽  
S. N. Balakrishnan ◽  
Oh-Ryeong Ha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Left Dlpfc ◽  
Making Choices ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal

Abstract As children grow, they gradually learn how to make decisions independently. However, decisions like choosing healthy but less-tasty foods can be challenging for children whose self-regulation and executive cognitive functions are still maturing. We propose a computational decision-making process in which children estimate their mother’s choices for them as well as their individual food preferences. By employing functional magnetic resonance imaging during real food choices, we find that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) encodes children’s own preferences and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) encodes the projected mom’s choices for them at the time of children’s choice. Also, the left dlPFC region shows an inhibitory functional connectivity with the vmPFC at the time of children’s own choice. Our study suggests that in part, children utilize their perceived caregiver’s choices when making choices for themselves, which may serve as an external regulator of decision-making, leading to optimal healthy decisions.

scholarly journals Considering Nature and Nurture in the Etiology and Prevention of Picky Eating: A Narrative Review

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3409
Author(s):  
Meera D. Patel ◽  
Sharon M. Donovan ◽  
Soo-Yeun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Eating Behaviors ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Potential Outcomes ◽  
Early Feeding ◽  
Picky Eating ◽  
Novel Foods ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Nature And Nurture

Children are often categorized as picky eaters by parents and caregivers for their rejection of foods, such as vegetables, and for exhibiting other difficult mealtime behaviors. However, there are several factors that contribute to these mealtime behaviors, including early feeding practices (i.e., breastfeeding, introduction to solid food), repeated exposure to novel foods, and genetic taste sensitivity to certain compounds. Using the online database of PubMed, a review of the literature on the development of picky eating in children, its outcomes, and intervention strategies was conducted. This review groups the developmental contributors to picky eating into the categories of nature and nurture and explores the interaction between the two. This paper will also summarize the potential outcomes of picky eating and the various strategies that are currently recommended to mitigate picky eating in young children. However, there is a lack of longitudinal work targeting consistent picky eating behaviors that have the potential to impact long-term food preferences and dietary variety. Future intervention strategies should address the factors that influence the development of picky eating on an individual level.

scholarly journals Association between Food Preferences, Eating Behaviors and Socio-Demographic Factors, Physical Activity among Children and Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Qiu ◽  
Min Hou
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Eating Behaviors ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Picky Eating ◽  
Heavy Smoking ◽  
Vegetable Juice

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is a serious health issue among children and adolescents worldwide. This study aimed to investigate factors influencing weight status-associated food preferences and eating behaviors. A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data from 2578 pairs of Chinese children and parents in five cities from December 2018 to March 2019. There was an increase in consumptions of processed seafood, nuts and dried fruit/vegetables, and fruit/vegetable juice, but a reduction of consuming puffed and processed meat products, sugar/artificially sweetened beverages and milk tea, and picky eating. These food preferences differentiate between sexes. Picky eating behavior was greatly presented in children of lower educated mothers or heavy-smoking fathers. Children of the lower educated fathers consumed less processed seafood and dairy products, and those of the heavy-smoking fathers consumed more puffed products, but less fruit/vegetable juice, and had greater snack preference. The father’s body mass index(BMI)status was also positively associated with unhealthy behaviors. Those who exercised daily longer showed better eating behaviors, and picky eating and fast-food lovers likely occurred in higher-income families. Our study provides an insight into that fathers being educated for health-conscious advice and physical activity may be the potential strategies to foster their children’s healthy eating patterns. Their efficacy needs to be further investigated.

Plant selection and avoidance by the Bornean elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) in tropical forest: does plant recovery rate after herbivory influence food choices?

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 371-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan English ◽  
Graeme Gillespie ◽  
Marc Ancrenaz ◽  
Sulaiman Ismail ◽  
Benoit Goossens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Preferences ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Elephas Maximus ◽  
Growth Forms ◽  
Forest Environment ◽  
Plant Vigour ◽  
Basal Diameter ◽  
Phragmites Karka ◽  
Preferred Species ◽  
Lower Kinabatangan

Abstract:The plant vigour hypothesis proposes that herbivores should favour feeding on more vigorously growing plants or plant modules. Similarly, we would expect herbivores to favour plants that regrow vigorously after herbivory. Larger animals, like elephants, may also select plant species relative to their availability and prefer species with larger growth forms in order to meet their intake requirements. The food preferences of the Bornean elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Sabah, Malaysia, were investigated along 12 transects in areas where elephants were recently sighted feeding. One hundred and eighty-two plants were eaten and 185 plants were measured for species availability along transects. Species vigour was determined by the monthly regrowth in new shoot length after elephant feeding and the number of new shoots produced on each plant. Measurements were carried out on each plant for 9 mo or until the new shoot was eaten. Plant sizes were determined from their basal diameter. The Bornean elephant did not prefer more vigorous species or species with larger growth forms. New shoots did not grow longer on preferred than avoided species. Additionally, unlike other elephants that live in a forest environment, the Bornean elephant preferred species from the Poaceae (specifically Phragmites karka and Dinochloa scabrida) over other plant types including gingers, palms, lianas and woody trees.

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