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32 1.3 Social and Cultural Influences on Food Choices
Activity 5 foods to their children, the children have the
opportunity to learn to like those nutritious foods.
Make a note of the foods advertised to children Young children are less likely to try new foods that
on television during several periods of children’s they have not seen other people eating.
television viewing time (e.g. 16:00–19:00) and
calculate the percentages of nutritious and However, eating together as a family has become
non-nutritious foods advertised. less common due to:
Activity 6 ●● parents’ long working hours and long commuting
times
List the negative effects that television viewing
has on children’s eating habits and health. ●● shift work
Influence of Family Feeding ●● preference of parents not to eat with children.
Practices and Parenting Skills
With many young children eating separately from
The mother is often the key decision-maker in their parents, the concept of ‘children’s food’ has
feeding children, however, this is not so in all developed. When young children are given control
cultures and families. Other household members over what is served they tend to choose familiar
who may purchase the foods for the children and foods, thereby narrowing down the range of foods
prepare and cook meals and snacks are: they eat and forgoing the experience of a wider
range of foods and the opportunity to learn to like
●● father the foods adults are eating.
●● maternal grandmother or grandfather
●● paternal grandmother or grandfather Older children who consume more meals with
●● most elderly member or members of the their families have:
household ●● better nutritional intakes (Gillman et al. 2000,
●● older sibling who can speak English while other Sweeting and West 2005)
members of the household do not ●● a lower risk of obesity (Taveras et al. 2005).
●● staff at the nursery the infant or young child
Videon and Manning (2003) found parental
attends presence at the evening meal was associated with a
●● babysitters higher consumption of fruits, vegetables, milk,
●● child minders yogurt and cheese, as well as less skipping of
●● other carers. breakfast in adolescents.
Family meals Parenting styles
Eating together as a family in a relaxed and A parent or carer’s role is to offer nutritious meals
enjoyable way is an important social time in family and snacks to young children in pleasant social
life as well as a learning opportunity for children: environments but to allow each child to decide
they learn to eat different foods and improve their when they have had enough to eat, so that they
feeding skills. develop an understanding of feeling hungry and
eating to satisfy that feeling.
Parents are very strong role models for young
children, who learn by copying. When parents eat Parenting styles influence the range and type of
nutritious foods themselves and offer the same foods that children are prepared to eat. A positive
parenting style makes mealtimes enjoyable and
improves nutritional intakes through a wider range
of nutritious foods being eaten.
Rudolf (2009) has described four parenting
styles that relate to responsiveness and control
