Associations Between Parental Concern for Adolescent Weight and the Home Food Environment and Dietary Intake
published online 25 January 2010.
Abstract
Objective
Examine associations between parental concern about adolescent weight and adolescent perceptions of their dietary intake, home food availability, family mealtime environment, and parents' feeding practices.
Design
Cross-sectional study.
Setting
Adolescents, aged 12-15 years from 37 secondary schools in Victoria, Australia, and their parents completed surveys in 2004-2005.
Participants
1,448 adolescent–parent pairs.
Main Outcome Measures
Parental concern about adolescent weight; adolescent perceptions of their food intake and home food environment.
Although 12% of parents perceived their adolescent as overweight, 27% were concerned about their adolescent's weight (under- or overweight). Adolescents of concerned parents reported lower intakes of energy-dense snacks and less home availability of these food items, and they perceived that their parents less often listened to and considered their food preferences when shopping and cooking, than did adolescents of unconcerned parents. Concerned parents were no more likely to provide fruits and vegetables in the home or a positive family mealtime environment than unconcerned parents, at least as reported by their adolescents.
Conclusions and Implications
Parental concern about adolescent weight was associated with lower intakes of energy-dense snacks among adolescents, less home availability of these food items, and less supportive parental feeding practices. Parents should be encouraged to listen to and consider their adolescents' food preferences, and provide supportive family mealtime environments and healthful food in the home.
1Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia
2School of Health Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
Address for correspondence: Abbie MacFarlane, PhD, Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, 3125, Australia; Phone: 61-3-9251 7165; Fax: 61-3-9244 6017
ABSTRACT