scholarly journals The proof is in the eating: subjective peer norms are associated with adolescents’ eating behaviour

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1044-1051 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Marijn Stok ◽  
Emely de Vet ◽  
John BF de Wit ◽  
Aleksandra Luszczynska ◽  
Magdalena Safron ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate associations of self-perceived eating-related peer norms (called ‘subjective peer norms’) with adolescents’ healthy eating intentions and intake of healthy and unhealthy food.DesignCross-sectional data were collected in a large international survey.SettingTwo types of subjective peer norms were assessed: perceived peer encouragement of healthy eating and perceived peer discouragement of unhealthy eating. Outcome variables were healthy eating intentions, intake of healthy food (fruits and vegetables) and intake of unhealthy food (snacks and soft drinks).SubjectsOver 2500 European (pre-)adolescents aged between 10 and 17 years participated.ResultsSubjective peer norms were associated with all three outcome variables. While both perceived encouragement of healthy eating and perceived discouragement of unhealthy eating were related to intentions, only peer encouragement of healthy eating was related to intakes of both healthy and unhealthy food.ConclusionsSubjective peer norms play a role in adolescent eating behaviour and as such are an important target for health promotion. Addressing norms that encourage healthy eating may be more promising in changing behaviour than norms that discourage unhealthy eating.

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-167
Author(s):  
Liliya Nureeva ◽  
Karen Brunsø ◽  
Liisa Lähteenmäki

Purpose Healthy eating behaviour in adolescence may be negatively affected by lack of self-regulation. The purpose of this paper is to discuss strategies for regulating eating behaviour as formulated by adolescents themselves. Design/methodology/approach Self-regulatory strategies were elicited with concept mapping, which is a group-based method. Three meetings were conducted with each of four school classes in Denmark. Participants in the 12-15-year age group were recruited for the study. At the first meeting, participants had to complete the phrase “Things I can do to ensure my healthy eating are: […]”. At the second meeting, participants had to group the statements. At the third meeting, the results were discussed with participants. Findings The results suggest that adolescents’ knowledge about healthy and unhealthy eating is in line with the official guidelines provided by health organisations. Adolescents made 142 statements about things they could do to ensure healthy eating; the statements were grouped by adolescents, and 12 strategies were formulated: following nutrition recommendations, developing own rules, making healthy deals with oneself, ensuring the right balance and regularity of food intake, awareness: remember to eat healthy, thinking of consequences, good advice for shopping and cooking, seeking help from parents, influencing family and others, avoiding temptations, replacing unhealthy food with a healthier option and reducing the amounts of unhealthy food in diet. Practical implications Focusing on improving adolescents’ self-regulatory skills in the domain of eating behaviour is a promising approach in developing future interventions. Originality/value The present article explores self-regulatory strategies for eating behaviour in adolescence and discusses their relevance.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
Samantha Goodman ◽  
Gabriela Armendariz ◽  
Adele Corkum ◽  
Laura Arellano ◽  
Alejandra Jáuregui ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective: To examine awareness and recall of healthy eating public education campaigns in five countries. Design: Data were cross-sectional and collected as part of the 2018 International Food Policy Study. Respondents were asked whether they had seen government healthy eating campaigns in the past year; if yes (awareness), they were asked to describe the campaign. Open-ended descriptions were coded to indicate recall of specific campaigns. Logistic models regressed awareness of healthy eating campaigns on participant country, age, sex, ethnicity, education, income adequacy and BMI. Analyses were also stratified by country. Setting: Online surveys. Participants: Participants were Nielsen panelists aged ≥18 years in Australia, Canada, Mexico, UK and US (n=22,463). Results: Odds of campaign awareness were higher in Mexico (50.9%) than UK (18.2%), Australia (17.9%), US (13.0%) and Canada (10.2%) (P<0.001). Awareness was also higher in UK and Australia versus Canada and US, and US versus Canada (P<0.001). Overall, awareness was higher among males versus females and respondents with medium or high versus low education (P<0.001 for all). Similar results were found in stratified models, although no sex difference was observed in Australia or UK (P>0.05), and age was associated with campaign awareness in UK (P<0.001). Common key words in all countries included sugar/sugary drinks, fruits and vegetables, and physical activity. The top five campaigns recalled were Chécate, mídete, muévete (Mexico), PrevenIMSS (Mexico), Change4Life (UK), LiveLighter® (Australia), and Actívate, Vive Mejor (Mexico). Conclusions: In Mexico, UK and Australia, comprehensive campaigns to promote healthy lifestyles appear to have achieved broad, population-level reach.


Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1236
Author(s):  
Ana Paula Cardoso ◽  
Vanessa Ferreira ◽  
Marcela Leal ◽  
Manuela Ferreira ◽  
Sofia Campos ◽  
...  

This study analysed the perceptions about healthy eating as well as some emotional factors conditioning eating behaviour in a sample of people from Portugal, Brazil and Argentina. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study involving a non-probabilistic sample of 2501 participant. Data was collected through a questionnaire applied to adult citizens residing in their respective countries. For data analysis chi-square tests were used, and associations were evaluated by Cramer’s coefficients. Moreover, a tree classification analysis was conducted for variables related with perceptions about healthy eating and emotional conditioning of eating behaviour. The results revealed that participants’ perceptions are generally in agreement with healthy eating. However, significant differences were found between countries (p = 0.018) and by levels of education (p < 0.0005), with a more accurate perception for Portugal and at the university level. The existence of statistically significant associations between all sociodemographic variables considered and the conditioning of eating behaviour by emotional motivations should be noted. Tree classification analysis showed that the most important discriminant sociodemographic variable for perceptions about healthy eating was education, followed by professional area and country, while the most relevant discriminants for emotional conditioning of eating behaviour were country and then living environment and sex. Thus, it is important to consider these variables in initiatives that aim to promote adherence to behaviours that contribute to the health and well-being of the population.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 713-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miranda Westfall ◽  
Sarah E. Roth ◽  
Monique Gill ◽  
Alec M. Chan-Golston ◽  
Lindsay N. Rice ◽  
...  

Purpose: MyPlate is the current dietary guidance icon meant to communicate healthy eating patterns. The purpose of this study is to evaluate knowledge of MyPlate nutrition education messages among middle school students and its association with dietary intake and perceived diet quality. Design: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data. Settings: Survey of eighth-grade students from 16 middle schools in California. Subjects: A total of 3521 eighth-grade students. Measures: MyPlate knowledge was assessed with 3 questions asking how much of the plate in a typical meal should be (1) fruits and vegetables, (2) grains, and (3) proteins. A brief food frequency questionnaire measured intake of fruits, vegetables, sweets, salty snacks, fast-food, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) over the past 7 days. Students self-rated their diet quality as poor, fair, good, or excellent. Analysis: Hierarchical logistic regression models controlling for gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Results: Only 11% of students answered all MyPlate questions correctly. MyPlate knowledge was associated with 65% higher odds of not consuming SSBs, but 46% lower odds of not consuming sweets. MyPlate knowledge was not associated with adolescents’ perceived diet quality or intake of salty snacks, fruits, or vegetables. Conclusion: Knowledge of nutrition education messages communicated by the MyPlate dietary guidance icon is limited among adolescents. The association between MyPlate knowledge and lower consumption of SSBs is encouraging, given the strong association between SSBs and childhood obesity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 78 (7) ◽  
pp. 756-769
Author(s):  
Li-Ling Liao ◽  
I-Ju Lai ◽  
Li-Chun Chang

Objective:This study aimed to investigate the nutrition literacy status of Taiwanese college students and to assess the relationship between nutrition literacy and healthy-eating behaviours.Design:Cross-sectional design with convenience sampling.Setting:Six universities in northern, central and southern Taiwan; both national and private universities were included in each region.Method:A maximum of 220 students was recruited from each university with no more than 45 students from one department. Data were collected using a self-rated nutrition literacy scale and questions about frequency of practising healthy-eating behaviours and demographic information.Results:The mean score for self-rated nutrition literacy was 2.8 (out of 4), and the mean score for healthy-eating behaviours was 3.07 (out of 5). Results of hierarchical regression showed that nutrition literacy explained 17.2% of the total variance of healthy-eating behaviours of college students, controlling for confounding variables.Conclusion:The findings of this study showed that nutrition literacy among college students was not optimal, and there was a positive association between higher levels of nutrition literacy and healthier dietary behaviours. Therefore, identifying methods to increase nutrition literacy among college students is essential to promote healthy-eating behaviours.


2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (18) ◽  
pp. 3343-3348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Lively ◽  
Oluborode Babawale ◽  
David M Thompson ◽  
Amanda S Morris ◽  
Jennifer L Harris ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveTo assess relationships between mothers’ feeding practices (food as a reward, food for emotion regulation, modelling of healthy eating) and mothers’ willingness to purchase child-marketed foods and fruits/vegetables (F&V) requested by their children during grocery co-shopping.DesignCross-sectional. Mothers completed an online survey that included questions about feeding practices and willingness (i.e. intentions) to purchase child-requested foods during grocery co-shopping. Feeding practices scores were dichotomized at the median. Foods were grouped as nutrient-poor or nutrient-dense (F&V) based on national nutrition guidelines. Regression models compared mothers with above-the-median v. at-or-below-the-median feeding practices scores on their willingness to purchase child-requested food groupings, adjusting for demographic covariates.SettingParticipants completed an online survey generated at a public university in the USA.SubjectsMothers (n 318) of 2- to 7-year-old children.ResultsMothers who scored above-the-median on using food as a reward were more willing to purchase nutrient-poor foods (β=0·60, P<0·0001), mothers who scored above-the-median on use of food for emotion regulation were more willing to purchase nutrient-poor foods (β=0·29, P<0·0031) and mothers who scored above-the-median on modelling of healthy eating were more willing to purchase nutrient-dense foods (β=0·22, P<0·001) than were mothers with at-or-below-the-median scores, adjusting for demographic covariates.ConclusionsMothers who reported using food to control children’s behaviour were more willing to purchase child-requested, nutrient-poor foods. Parental feeding practices may facilitate or limit children’s foods requested in grocery stores. Parent–child food consumer behaviours should be investigated as a route that may contribute to children’s eating patterns.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 3426-3431
Author(s):  
Rositsa Chamova ◽  
◽  
Maria Panteleeva ◽  
Eliyana Ivanova ◽  
◽  
...  

Osteoporosis is a global health problem with increasing importance. It is a chronic, debilitating disease characterized by low bone density and deterioration of the micro architectonics of bone tissue. Although genetic factors largely determine the bone size and density, factors such as healthy eating, good physical activity and avoiding alcohol and smoking also play a key role. At all ages, healthy eating is an important factor in bone health. Aim: To study the eating habits that are important for bone health in women from Varna. Methods: A cross-sectional study of the eating habits of 139 women in Varna was conducted between January 2018 and March 2019. Questions, giving information on diet, frequency of consumption of certain food groups and beverages, affecting bone density, physical activity, demographic indicators are included in the questionnaire. Descriptive analysis of the data is done with SPSS version 19. Results: The average age of the participants was 29.86 ± 13.60 years. Daily consumption of milk and dairy products was found among 36.7% and 32.4% of the respondents respectively. The relative share of respondents who consume fish 1-2 times a week is 33.1%. The daily consumption of fruits and vegetables is 47.5% and 56.8% respectively. Conclusion: Nutrition plays an important role in reducing the risk of osteoporosis by affecting the development and maintenance of bone mass.


2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 708-712
Author(s):  
Tetiana P. Yurochko ◽  
Maryna V. Shevchenko ◽  
Anthony Hassan Jr. Wenom

The aim: Investigate the eating behaviour of international students in Ukraine. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional quantitative research approach was taken in conducting this study. 193 international students (98 males, 95 females) filled the questionnaire assessing their diet for the past 7 days, perceived changes made to their diet since their arrival to Ukraine, knowledge of healthy dietary habits, and perceived barriers to maintaining a healthy diet. At the time of this study, the students were between the ages of 18 and 36 years, of 11 nationalities, and enrolled at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in 12 Ukrainian tertiary institutions. Results: Assessment of the students' diet quality reveals that 75.1% of the students consume fruits at least 2 times/day and 73.1% consume vegetables at least 3 times/day. More students consume poultry daily and fish at least twice a week than beef and pork daily. More than half of the students consume starchy foods, mostly rice daily. Only 7.3% of the students consume up to 1 alcoholic beverage daily. Gender significantly affects the consumption of alcohol, dairy products, low fat milk and milk products, and marginally affects beef and dark chocolate. 95 % of the student have made changes to their diet since coming to Ukraine. Conclusions: The dietary behaviour of international students in Ukraine is characterized by: high consumption of fruits and vegetables, high intake of lean meats and fish, higher consumption of unsaturated fats and oils than saturated ones, and low consumption of soft and alcoholic drinks.


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