Fruits and Vegetables at Home: Child and Parent Perceptions

Abstract 

Objective

Examine child and parent perceptions of home food environment factors and associations with child fruit and vegetable (FV) intake.

Design

Research staff administered surveys to children during after-school sessions, and parents completed surveys by mail or over the phone.

Setting

Four urban elementary schools in St. Paul, Minnesota, serving primarily low-income populations.

Participants

Seventy-three children (55 girls, 18 boys) and 1 parent/guardian per child participated in a theater-based intervention aimed at obesity prevention.

Main Outcome Measures

Perceptions of home food environment factors (home FV availability, home FV accessibility; parental encouragement to eat FV; family meal frequency).

Analysis

Descriptive statistics and paired t tests.

Results

On average, child and parent perceptions of the home food environment were similar. When comparing child-parent dyad perceptions of home food environment, a moderate to high level of agreement (56%-86%) was found. Child report of home FV availability, home FV accessibility, parental encouragement to eat FV, and family meal frequency explained 26.7% of the variance in child FV intake, whereas parent report of these factors explained 4.9% of the variance.

Conclusions and Implications

It is important to understand both child and parent perceptions of the home food environment when developing interventions aimed at increasing child FV intake.

Key Words: child, parent, fruit and vegetable intake, home environment