Malaysian adolescents’ perceptions of healthy eating: a qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (8) ◽  
pp. 1440-1449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharifah Intan Zainun Sharif Ishak ◽  
Yit Siew Chin ◽  
Mohd Nasir Mohd Taib ◽  
Zalilah Mohd Shariff
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Dietary Behaviour ◽  
Cooking Methods ◽  
Eating Behaviours ◽  
Unhealthy Eating ◽  
At Home

AbstractObjective:To explore the concepts of healthy eating and to identify the barriers and facilitating factors for dietary behaviour change in adolescents.Design:A qualitative study involving twelve focus groups.Setting:Two secondary schools in the district of Hulu Langat in Selangor, Malaysia.Participants:Seventy-two adolescents aged 13–14 years.Results:Adolescents had some understanding regarding healthy eating and were able to relate healthy eating with the concepts of balance and moderation. The adolescents’ perceptions of healthy and unhealthy eating were based on food types and characteristics, cooking methods and eating behaviours. Facilitators for healthy eating were parents’ control on adolescents’ food choices, feeling concern about own health and body, being influenced by other’s health condition, and knowledge of healthy or unhealthy eating. On the other hand, barriers for healthy eating were the availability of food at home and school, taste and characteristics of foods, and lack of knowledge on healthy or unhealthy foods.Conclusions:The findings contribute to a better understanding of the adolescents’ concept of healthy eating, as well as the facilitators and barriers to practising healthy eating. Future interventions should include a method of promoting the immediate benefits of healthy eating, the way to cope with environmental barriers for healthy eating, and increasing the availability of healthy food choices at home and in the school environment. The health and nutrition education programmes should also focus on educating parents, as they can be role models for adolescents to practise more healthful behaviours.

Brazilian immigrant fathers’ perspectives on child’s eating and feeding practices: a qualitative study conducted in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (17) ◽  
pp. 3211-3225
Author(s):  
Ana Cristina Lindsay ◽  
Gabriela Vasconcellos de Barros Vianna ◽  
Carlos André Moura Arruda ◽  
Amanda De Sá Melo Alves ◽  
Maria Helena Hasselmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Immigrant Families ◽  
Feeding Practices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Eating Behaviours ◽  
Family Interventions ◽  
Analytical Approaches ◽  
Preschool Aged Children

AbstractObjectives:Brazilians comprise a rapidly growing immigrant Latino group in the USA, yet little research has focused on health issues affecting Brazilian children in immigrant families. As increasing evidence is documenting fathers’ influential role in their children’s eating behaviours and ultimately weight status, the current study sought to explore the Brazilian immigrant fathers’ perspectives and practices related to child’s feeding practices and their preschool-aged children’s eating.Design:Qualitative study using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Interviews were conducted in Portuguese by native Brazilian research staff using a semi-structured interview guide. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed thematically using a hybrid approach that incorporated deductive and inductive analytical approaches.Setting:Massachusetts.Participants:Twenty-one Brazilian immigrant fathers who had at least one child aged 2–5 years.Results:Results revealed fathers’ awareness of the importance of healthy eating for their children, their influence as role models and their involvement in feeding routines of their preschool-aged children. Moreover, fathers were receptive to participating in family interventions to promote their children’s healthy eating. Nearly all fathers reported wanting to learn more and to do ‘what’s right’ for their children.Conclusions:The current study provides new information about Brazilian immigrant fathers’ views about factors influencing their children’s healthy eating behaviours and paternal feeding practices. Future research should quantify fathers’ feeding styles and practices and solicit fathers’ input in the design of culturally appropriate family interventions targeting the home environment of preschool-aged children of Brazilian immigrant families.

scholarly journals Caregivers’ Role in the Effectiveness of Two Dutch School-Based Nutrition Education Programmes for Children Aged 7–12 Years Old

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 140
Author(s):  
Angeliek Verdonschot ◽  
Emely de Vet ◽  
Natalie van Seeters ◽  
Jolieke Warmer ◽  
Clare E. Collins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Home Environment ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Nutrition Knowledge ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Eating Behaviours ◽  
School Based ◽  
Programme Effectiveness ◽  
At Home

Childhood eating behaviours can track into adulthood. Therefore, programmes that support early healthy eating, including school-based nutrition education programmes, are important. Although school-based programmes may be beneficial in improving nutrition knowledge, impact on actual fruit and vegetable (FV) intake is generally limited as FV intake is also influenced by the home environment. The current study includes secondary analyses of data from an evaluation study on Dutch nutrition education and examined the role of caregivers’ health promotion behaviours (HPB) in influencing healthy eating behaviours in primary school children (n = 1460, aged 7–12 years) and whether caregivers’ HPB contribute to programme effectiveness. Children’s nutrition knowledge, FV intake and caregivers’ HPB (FV/sugar-sweetened beverages/sweets provision to take to school, cooking together and talking about healthy food at home) were measured by child-reported questionnaires at baseline, during, and 6 months post-programme. Results indicated that caregivers’ HPB was positively associated with children’s healthy eating behaviours and that programme effectiveness was highest in those in the lower HPB subcategory. In conclusion, children with less encouragement to eat healthily at home potentially benefit more from school-based nutrition education programmes than children receiving more encouragement. This highlights the important role of the home environment in supporting healthy eating behaviour in children.

scholarly journals Benefits of Family Meals

EDIS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Varnessa McCray ◽  
Victor W. Harris ◽  
Martie Gillen
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Family Meals ◽  
Fact Sheet ◽  
Important Family ◽  
The Past ◽  
At Home

Over the past 30 years obesity among children has increased. One way to help youth make healthy food choices is by creating healthy eating choices and habits at home, starting with family meals. When parents value family dinners, children are likely to view family dinners as important. Family meals can provide important examples to show children what foods are good to eat and how much of the good foods they should eat. This 5-page fact sheet was written by Varnessa McCray, Victor W. Harris, and Martie Gillen, and published by the UF Department of Family Youth and Community Sciences, April 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1362

scholarly journals Investigation on Dietary Behavior Changes in 658 Pregnant Women Before and During Pregnancy in China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
QingWen Wang ◽  
XiaoQI Cao ◽  
Miao Tian ◽  
ZhiHong Li ◽  
CaiXia Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Cooking Methods ◽  
Behavior Changes ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Salty Taste ◽  
Before And After ◽  
At Home

Abstract Background The extra dietary care women receive after pregnancy, coupled with the effect of their own physiological response during pregnancy, can cause some changes in their dietary habits compared with those before pregnancy. Current studies have mostly focused on detailed foods and specific dietary patterns; less attention has been given to changes in food flavor, cooking methods, and meal frequency before and after pregnancy. This study aimed to investigate these changes in pregnant women in TaiYuan City, China and analyze some possible related factors.Methods A total of 658 pregnant women were asked about their frequency of daily meals, choice of eating at home or out, personal preference for different tastes (salty, spicy, and sweet), cooking methods (frying, braising, sautéing, steaming, and stewing), specific food choices, and other changes in dietary habits before and after pregnancy through a questionnaire. SPSS 24.0 was used for all data statistical analyses. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results The choice of salty, spicy, and sweet tastes changed, and the proportion of women who chose lighter flavors after pregnancy increased (P < 0.001). A positive correlation was found between the choice of lighter salty taste and parity (r = 0.142, P = 0.035), that is, pregnant women with more parity were likely to choose a lighter salty taste after pregnancy. By contrast, a negative correlation was found between the choice of lighter spicy taste and age (r = -0.115, P = 0.048), implying that younger pregnant women were likely to choose a lighter spicy taste after pregnancy. In the traditional Chinese cooking methods, compared with pre-pregnancy, the number of pregnant women who chose frying, braising, and sautéing decreased, whereas that of steaming and stewing increased (P < 0.001).Compared with pre-pregnancy, the number of meals every day of pregnant women increased (from 2.85 to 3.09) (P < 0.001), and the frequency of eating at home every week increased (from 4.82 to 5.52) (P < 0.001).Conclusion Overall differences were found in the eating habits of 658 pregnant women before and after pregnancy. Pregnant women with more parity were likely to choose a lighter salty taste, and younger pregnant women were likely to choose a lighter spicy taste.

Nutrition knowledge and its relation with dietary behaviour in children and adolescents: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunaina Thakur ◽  
Pulkit Mathur
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Peer Influence ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Nutrition Knowledge ◽  
Dietary Behaviour ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Objectives This review explored the relationship between knowledge among children and adolescents and their dietary behaviour. Content Potentially eligible original research articles were identified through a systematic search in PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science and WHO Virtual Health Library from 2000 to 2018. From the initial search, a total of 7,258 research articles were obtained. Duplicate studies were identified and removed. Observational studies on children and adolescents (5–19 years) of any gender, ethnicity and country were included in which the outcome measured was either a scoring of/ association between nutrition knowledge and practices. After screening using the inclusion criteria, 13 studies were selected for this paper. Summary and Outlook Four studies reported non-significant association between overall nutrition knowledge and practices. Only two studies found a significant association, out of which one showed a weak association highlighting that nutrition knowledge is not sufficient to result in healthy eating. Other factors which showed significant but weak associations with knowledge/practices included age, gender, nutritional status and lifestyle, peer influence, parents’/guardians’ knowledge, education and occupation level. The causal relationship couldn’t be examined in the present review due to the cross-sectional nature of the studies. Besides imparting knowledge through nutrition education interventions, there is a need for holistic behaviour change strategies including supporting food skills like menu planning, food shopping and cooking to encourage healthy eating habits among children. These interventions should target children from an early age, involving family/parents, teachers and peers to facilitate improvement in the food environment for sustainable change.

scholarly journals Parents’ and teachers’ views of the promotion of healthy eating in Australian primary schools

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gozde Aydin ◽  
Claire Margerison ◽  
Anthony Worsley ◽  
Alison Booth
Keyword(s):  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Eating Behaviours ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
School Food ◽  
Role Modelling ◽  
Healthy Eating Habits

Abstract Background Primary schools have long been identified as appropriate settings for improving the healthy eating behaviours of children and helping them develop food skills. This qualitative study explored the views of Australian primary school parents and teachers about schools’ strengths and weaknesses in promoting healthy eating and equipping children with food skills. Methods Nineteen parents and 17 teachers from Victoria participated in semi-structured interviews. Audio recordings were transcribed and underwent thematic analysis using Nvivo. Results This study demonstrated that parents and teachers believed that several facilitators helped promote children’s healthy eating. These included food and nutrition education (FNE) programs, the community-based nature of schools, and teacher role modelling and the authority schools possess over children. Time scarcity, lack of teacher expertise, lack of leadership and funding were reported as barriers. School food environments such as canteens, lunch orders, fundraising events and school fairs were identified as both weaknesses and strengths by parents and teachers, which indicated inconsistent implementation of school nutrition policies across schools. Conclusions Australian primary schools demonstrate some useful efforts to promote healthy eating among children. However, there are numerous facilitators and barriers which impact on the promotion of healthy eating. These factors need to be addressed in order to develop healthy eating habits further among elementary students. These results provide directions for policymakers and school managers, as they point to the areas that need to be improved to assist the design of schools that better promote healthy eating among children.

Rural parents’ beliefs about healthy eating

2018 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. 705-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea E McDonald ◽  
Lenna Dawkins-Moultin ◽  
Sharon L McWhinney
Keyword(s):  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Fourth Grade ◽  
Family Influence ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
Time Availability ◽  
Rural Parents ◽  
At Home

Objectives: This study explored US rural parents’ perceived facilitators, challenges and motivators to healthy eating. Methods: Qualitative and purposive sampling was used to recruit one hundred ( N = 100) parents of children enrolled in the fourth grade to participate in a series of focus group sessions. Eligibility criteria included being the head of the household and having a child enrolled in the fourth grade. Parents were questioned about factors impacting everyday lifestyle practices such as nutrition knowledge and eating habits. Data were analysed using grounded theory and constant comparative method. Results: Twelve focus groups sessions were conducted with parents who self-identified as African American (63%), Hispanic (25%) and Caucasian 2%. The majority (52%) of participants indicated they only had some high school education. Healthy eating among parents was highly dependent on socioeconomic status, time, availability and access to foods. Facilitators to healthy eating were school lunch programmes, nutrition education and family preferences. Findings demonstrate that parents tried to eat meals at home, but many factors (fear of genetically modified foods, money and time) prevented healthy eating and food preparation. Parents who consumed or prepared meals at home did so because of family influence and the fear of being unhealthy. Conclusion and implications: This study provides an in-depth understanding of rural parents’ efforts to promote healthy eating at home regardless of socioeconomic challenges.

Food and nutrition education in private Indian secondary schools

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neha Rathi ◽  
Lynn Riddell ◽  
Anthony Worsley
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Eating Behaviours ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
School Food ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nutrition Curriculum ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Food And Nutrition Education

Purpose The current Indian secondary school curriculum has been criticised for its failure to deliver relevant skills-based food and nutrition education for adolescents. The purpose of this paper is to understand the views of adolescents, their parents, teachers and school principals on the present food and nutrition curriculum and the role of the schools in developing food skills. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were held with 15 students aged 14-15 years, 15 parents, 12 teachers and ten principals in ten private schools in Kolkata, India. The interview questions were primarily based on the content, merits and demerits of the curriculum. The digitally recorded data were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Findings All the 52 interviewees observed that the food and nutrition curriculum created awareness in students about the importance of healthy eating. However, they also described certain weaknesses of the curriculum. These included lack of practical assignments, an out-dated and a limited curriculum, which failed to initiate critical thinking and was contradicted by sales practices in the school food environment. The interviewees prioritised the inclusion of food skills in the curriculum. Practical implications The emerging evidence suggests the need for the development of a skills-focussed food and nutrition curriculum to encourage healthy eating behaviours among adolescents. Originality/value Most of the work on food and nutrition education has come from developed nations – this is the first study in the Indian context of the secondary school food and nutrition curriculum.

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