Influences on the quality of young children's diets: the importance of maternal food choices
- 1 September 2010
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in British Journal of Nutrition
- Vol. 105 (2), 287-296
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007114510003302
Abstract
It is recognised that eating habits established in early childhood may track into adult life. Developing effective interventions to promote healthier patterns of eating throughout the life course requires a greater understanding of the diets of young children and the factors that influence early dietary patterns. In a longitudinal UK cohort study, we assessed the diets of 1640 children at age 3 years using an interviewer-administered FFQ and examined the influence of maternal and family factors on the quality of the children's diets. To describe dietary quality, we used a principal components analysis-defined pattern of foods that is consistent with healthy eating recommendations. This was termed a ‘prudent’ diet pattern and was characterised by high intakes of fruit, vegetables and wholemeal bread, but by low intakes of white bread, confectionery, chips and roast potatoes. The key influence on the quality of the children's diets was the quality of their mother's diets; alone it accounted for almost a third of the variance in child's dietary quality. Mothers who had better-quality diets, which complied with dietary recommendations, were more likely to have children with comparable diets. This relationship remained strong even after adjustment for all other factors considered, including maternal educational attainment, BMI and smoking, and the child's birth order and the time spent watching television. Our data provide strong evidence of shared family patterns of diet and suggest that interventions to improve the quality of young women's diets could be effective in improving the quality of their children's diets.Keywords
This publication has 36 references indexed in Scilit:
- Dietary patterns in children: results from the Southampton Women's SurveyProceedings Of The Nutrition Society, 2010
- Continuity and stability of eating behaviour traits in childrenEuropean Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2007
- A Diet Quality Index for American Preschoolers Based on Current Dietary Intake Recommendations and an Indicator of Energy BalanceJournal of the American Dietetic Association, 2006
- Correlates of fruit and vegetable intake among Norwegian schoolchildren: parental and self-reportsPublic Health Nutrition, 2004
- Impact of educational attainment on the quality of young women's dietsEuropean Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2004
- Social determinants of dietary habits in DenmarkEuropean Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2001
- Relationships Between Use of Television During Meals and Children's Food Consumption PatternsPublished by American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) ,2001
- Prospective study of major dietary patterns and risk of coronary heart disease in menThe American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2000
- Parent-child relationships in nutrient intake: the Framingham Children's StudyThe American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1992
- Principal component analysis and exploratory factor analysisStatistical Methods in Medical Research, 1992