Caregiver Perceptions of the Food Marketing Environment of African-American 3-11-Year-Olds: A Qualitative Study.
Caregiver perceptions of the food marketing environment of African-American 3-11-year-olds: a qualitative study.
Public Health Nutr. 2013 Jul 5; 1-9
Baskin ML, Herbey I, Williams R, Ard JD, Ivankova N, Odoms-Young A
To assess caregivers’ perceptions of the extent to which the food marketing environment influences food consumption among African-American children (aged 3-11 years) in order to generate potential strategies to make the marketing environment more favourable to healthier eating.Individual semi-structured interviews with caregivers were conducted by trained community leaders to ascertain their awareness of and perceptions about food marketing environments contributing to African-American children’s food consumption.Six predominantly African-American communities in metro Birmingham, Alabama, USA with high proportions of school-age children and lower-income residents.Caregivers (n 25) were predominantly female (93 %) and either parents/guardians (64 %) or grandparents (28 %) of African-American children aged 3-11 years. Caregiver mean age was 43 years and 46 % had lived in their current residence for over 10 years.Caregivers reported all aspects of the food marketing matrix as supporting unhealthy eating among African-American youth. Child preference for foods higher in fat and sugar, lower pricing of less healthy foods, limited access to healthier food retailers and targeted advertisements were particularly influential on the food selection, acquisition and consumption of children. Company loyalty, corporate sponsorship of local events and conflicts over parental v. food company responsibility contributed to less consensus about the overall impact (positive or negative) of food companies in African-American communities.While caregivers perceived aspects of their food marketing environments as primarily contributing to unhealthy eating among African-American children, framing the demand for changes in the food marketing environments of African-American youth may be particularly challenging. HubMed – eating
Does nutrition information on menus impact food choice? Comparisons across two hospital cafeterias.
Public Health Nutr. 2013 Jul 5; 1-11
Vanderlee L, Hammond D
Food prepared and consumed away from home accounts for a significant proportion of dietary intake among Canadians. Currently, Canadians receive little or no nutrition information when eating in restaurant and fast-food outlets. The present study examined the impact of nutrition information on menus in hospital cafeterias on noticing and perceived influence of nutrition information and on food consumption.Cross-sectional surveys.Exit surveys (n 1003) were conducted in two hospital cafeterias. The ‘intervention’ site featured energy (calorie), sodium and fat content on digital menu boards, as well as a health logo for ‘healthier’ items. The intervention site had also revised its menu items to improve the nutrient profiles. The ‘control’ site provided limited nutrition information at the point of sale.Cafeteria patrons recruited using the intercept technique.Significantly more respondents at the intervention site reported noticing nutrition information (OR = 7·6, P < 0·001) and using nutrition information to select their food items (OR = 3·3, P < 0·001) compared with patrons at the control site, after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Patrons at the intervention site consumed significantly less energy (-21 %, P < 0·001), sodium (-23 %, P < 0·001), saturated fat (-33 %, P < 0·001) and total fat (-37 %, P < 0·001) than patrons at the control site.A nutritional programme, including nutrition information on menus and improved nutrition profile of food offerings, was associated with substantial reductions in energy, sodium and fat consumption. The results are consistent with a positive impact of menu labelling. HubMed – eating
Accuracy of Child and Adolescent Weight Perceptions and Their Relationships to Dieting and Exercise Behaviors: A NHANES Study.
Acad Pediatr. 2013 Jul-Aug; 13(4): 371-8
Chung AE, Perrin EM, Skinner AC
Recent public health and media attention on child obesity may have altered accuracy of self-perception of obesity and associated weight control behaviors in children and adolescents. Thus, we examined whether accuracy of weight perceptions were associated with weight loss behaviors.We examined children 8 to 15 years old in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005-2010) who reported themselves as “overweight/too fat,” “about right,” or “underweight/too thin.” Children reported on efforts to lose weight and engagement in specific weight control behaviors, including how frequently he or she had been on a diet, starved, cut back on eating, skipped meals, or exercised to lose weight. We categorized obesity on the basis of measured body mass index, and we determined the accuracy of weight perceptions. We used chi-square tests to examine age- and sex-based differences in accuracy of perceptions and relationship to weight loss behaviors.Girls and older children more accurately perceived weight status. Both girls and boys of all ages who perceived themselves as overweight were more likely to engage in weight loss behaviors. Children who were overweight engaged in more weight loss behaviors than healthy weight children perceiving themselves as overweight. Among children who reported themselves as “about right,” overweight children engaged in more weight loss behaviors than healthy weight children but less so than those who accurately perceived themselves as being overweight.The perception of being overweight and actual overweight status are both strongly associated with weight loss behaviors. These findings have important implications for counseling patients who may have inaccurate weight perceptions. HubMed – eating
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