Parental Influences on Dairy Intake in Children, and Their Role in Child Calcium-fortified Food Use

• Published in: Journal of nutrition education and behavior 2009, Vol.41 (1), p.53-57
• Main Authors: Olson, Beth H., PhD, Chung, Kimberly R., PhD, Reckase, Mark, PhD, Schoemer, Stephanie, MS, RD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; adolescents; Asian Americans; Beliefs; Calcium; Calcium, Dietary - administration & dosage; Cheese; cheeses; Child; children; Cluster Analysis; dairy; Dairy Products; dietary minerals; dietary surveys; Dietetics; early adolescence; Early Adolescents; Eating Habits; Feeding Behavior - ethnology; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Female; Food; food choices; food intake; fortified food; fortified foods; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Health Behavior; health beliefs; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Influence; Internal Medicine; Interviews as Topic; Male; Milk; Multivariate Analysis; Parent Attitudes; Parent Influence; Parent Role; Parent-Child Relations; parent-child relationships; parental behavior; parental factors; Parents & parenting; Preadolescents; Socioeconomic Factors; United States; United States Department of Agriculture; Whites
• ISSN: 1499-4046; 1878-2620; 1708-8259
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2008.03.005

Abstract Objective To understand how parental influences on dairy food intake relate to early adolescent children's use of calcium-fortified food. Design Content analysis of qualitative interviews to identify parental influences on dairy intake; calcium-fortified food survey to identify children as either calcium-fortified food users or nonusers. Setting and Participants A convenience sample of Asian (n = 56), Hispanic (n = 61), and white (n = 74) parents of children 10-13 years old, including boys (n = 86) and girls (n = 105). Variables Measured and Analysis Cluster analysis to identify groups with similar coded parental influences and chi-square analysis to determine associations between these groups and calcium-fortified food use. Results Two dominant patterns of parental influences: Cluster 1 (n = 128), with positive parental influences related to availability of dairy, milk, and cheese; positive health beliefs for dairy, and child preferences for dairy and cheese, included parents whose children were more likely to use calcium-fortified food. Cluster 2 (n = 63), with positive influences for availability of dairy and milk, included parents whose children were equally likely to be either users or nonusers of calcium-fortified food ( P < .05). Conclusion Strategies to improve parental influence on children's dairy intake might also encourage calcium-fortified food intake and improve calcium nutriture.