Published date: Nov 12 2017

Journal Title: Arab Journal of Nutrition and Exercise

Issue title: AJNE: Vol 1, No 1 (2016)

Pages: 24-36

DOI: 10.18502/ajne.v1i1.1221

Al Amoodi Sara Ahmed Abdulla SaeedAmoudis@live.comDepartment of Natural Sciences and Public Health, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Aim: Dietary habits developed during childhood and continued  through adulthood.    Children’s eating behaviours should be  monitorining to avoid possible  nutritional deficiencies which have been found to be strongly related to the development of future disease such as  obesity, diabetes type 2 and others. The main aim of this study is to explore the relationship between family food environment and the eating behavior during  dinnertime among children aged 4 to 6 years old in Abu Dhabi. A cross-sectional  study was carried out  that examined the relationship between family food environment and child’s  eating behaviour around dinnertime.

Methods: 61 families participated in the study with their children aged 4-6 years old from a private school. They completed a questionnaire that included questions about demographics, eating behaviour and food environment.

Results: 82% of the mothers were reported to be responsible for feeding the children. Most of the families had dinner together three or more times a week. Half of the children got a high score in the child’s eating behaviour scale, indicating that they had positive eating behaviour. The results also showed that children of highly educated mothers were more likely to have positive eating behaviour, compared to children of mothers with lower education (p < .05). There was a significant positive correlation between modelling of eating and child eating behaviour ( Pearson’s r = .56, p < .01), and a significant negative correlation between pressure to eat and child eating behaviour (Pearson’s r = -.35, p < .01).

Conclusion: This study is in line with other studies showing that aspects in the family food environment have an influence on eating behaviour of children. Educating parents on food environment and its impact on child behaviour is crucial in order to make them able to develop feeding strategies most likely to benefit children's’  health.

[1] J. Blissett and E. Haycraft, “Are parenting style and controlling feeding practices related?” Appetite, vol. 50, no. 2-3, pp. 477–485, 2008.

[2] R. Brown and J. Ogden, “Children’s eating attitudes and behaviour: A study of the modelling and control theories of parental influence,” Health Education Research, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 261–271, 2004.

[3] K. J. Campbell, D. A. Crawford, and K. Ball, “Family food environment and dietary behaviors likely to promote fatness in 5-6 year-old children,” International Journal of Obesity, vol. 30, no. 8, pp. 1272–1280, 2006.

[4] H. R. Clark, E. Goyder, P. Bissell, L. Blank, and J. Peters, “How do parents’ childfeeding behaviours influence child weight? Implications for childhood obesity policy,” Journal of Public Health, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 132–141, 2007.

[5] C. V. Farrow and J. Blissett, “Controlling feeding practices: Cause or consequence of early child weight?” Pediatrics, vol. 121, no. 1, pp. e164–e169, 2008.

[6] C. V. Farrow, A. T. Galloway, and K. Fraser, “Sibling eating behaviours and differential child feeding practices reported by parents,” Appetite, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 307–312, 2009.

[7] E. FitzPatrick, L. S. Edmunds, and B. A. Dennison, “Positive Effects of Family Dinner Are Undone by Television Viewing,” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vol. 107, no. 4, pp. 666–671, 2007.

[8] A. T. Galloway, L. Fiorito, L. A. Francis, and L. L. Birch, “Finish your soup: counterproductive effects of pressuring children to eat on intake and affect,” Appetite, vol. 46, pp. 318–323, 2006.

[9] J. E. Gregory, S. J. Paxton, and A. M. Brozovic, “Maternal feeding practices, child eating behaviour and body mass index in preschool-aged children: A prospective analysis,” International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol. 7, article no. 55, 2010.

[10] C. F. Lowe, P. J. Horne, K. Tapper, M. Bowdery, and C. Egerton, “Effects of a peer modelling and rewards-based intervention ot increase fruit vegetable consumption in children,” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 58, no. 3, pp. 510–522, 2004.

[11] E. Moens, C. Braet, and B. Soetens, “Observation of family functioning at mealtime: A comparison between families of children with and without overweight,” Journal of Pediatric Psychology, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 52–63, 2007.

[12] S. N. Moore, K. Tapper, and S. Murphy, “Feeding strategies used by mothers of 3-5- year-old children,” Appetite, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 704–707, 2007.

[13] J. K. Orrell-Valente, L. G. Hill, W. A. Brechwald, K. A. Dodge, G. S. Pettit, and J. E. Bates, “”Just three more bites”: An observational analysis of parents’ socialization of children’s eating at mealtime,” Appetite, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 37–45, 2007.

[14] H. Patrick and T. A. Nicklas, “A review of family and social determinants of children’s eating patterns and diet quality,” Journal of the American College of Nutrition, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 83–92, 2005.

[15] C. Robertson, Safety, nutrition and health in early education, Wadsworth Publishing, New York, 4th edition, 2009.

[16] R. R. Rosenkranz and D. A. Dzewaltowski, “Model of the home food environment pertaining to childhood obesity,” Nutrition Reviews, vol. 66, no. 3, pp. 123–140, 2008.

[17] J. Saxton, S. Carnell, C. H. M. van Jaarsveld, and J. Wardle, “Maternal Education Is Associated with Feeding Style,” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vol. 109, no. 5, pp. 894–898, 2009.

[18] M. Marquis and B. Shatenstein, “Food choice motives and the importance of family meals among immigrant mothers,” Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, vol. 66, no. 2, pp. 77–82, 2005.

[19] J. Utter, R. Scragg, D. Schaaf, and C. Ni Mhurchu, “Relationships between frequency of family meals, BMI and nutritional aspects of the home food environment among New Zealand adolescents,” International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol. 5, article no. 50, 2008.

[20] L. Webber, L. Cooke, C. Hill, and J. Wardle, “Associations between children’s appetitive traits and maternal feeding practices,” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vol. 110, no. 11, pp. 1718–1722, 2010.

[21] L. Webber, C. Hill, L. Cooke, S. Carnell, and J. Wardle, “Associations between child weight and maternal feeding styles are mediated by maternal perceptions and concerns,” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 64, no. 3, pp. 259–265, 2010.

[22] WHO, United Arab Emirates Global School-based Student Health Survey. Geneva 2005; Retrieved October 13, 2009, from http://www.who.int/chp/gshs/2005_United_Arab_Emirates_GSHS_Country_Report.pdf.

[23] WHO, Risks to oral health and intervention. Geneva n.d.; Retrieved March 17, 2009, from http://www.who.int/oral_health/action/risks/en/index.html.

[24] S. J. Woodruff and R. M. Hanning, “A Review of family meal influence on adolescents’ dietary intake,” Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, vol. 69, no. 1, pp. 14–22, 2008.