The relationships among home fruit (F), 100% fruitjuice (J), and vegetable (V) availability and accessibility separately, as reported by 225 fourth- through sixth-grade children and their parents (n = 88), separately, and FJV preferences to child-reported FJV consumption were assessed. For girls, child-reported FJV availability and accessibility accounted for 35% of the variability in FJV consumption. Child-reported availability and parent-reported accessibility were significantly correlated with child FJV consumption in a combined model. For children with high FJV preferences, FJV availability was the only significant predictor, whereas both availability and accessibility were significantly related to consumption for children with low FJV preferences. Interventions targeting child dietary behaviors may need to tailor to the home environment, separately by gender. Extra efforts are necessary by parents to enhance accessibility among children who do not like FJV.

Family, peers and other environmental factors are likely to influence children's dietary behavior but few measures of these phenomena exist. Questionnaires to measure family and peer influences on children's fruit, juice and vegetable (FJV) consumption were developed and pilot tested with an ethnically diverse group of Grade 4-6 children. Principal components analyses revealed subscales with acceptable internal consistencies that measured parent and peer FJV modeling, normative beliefs, normative expectations, perceived peer FJV norms, supportive and permissive parenting practices, food rules, permissive eating, and child food preparation. Internal consistencies were adequate to high, but test-re-test correlations often were low. Children also completed questionnaires on FJV availability and accessibility in the home, and food records for 2 days in the classroom. Parental modeling, peer normative beliefs and FV availability were significantly correlated with FJV consumption. Further research with these scales is warranted.

Children's intakes of fruit, juice, and vegetables (FJV) do not meet the recommended minimum of five daily servings, placing them at increased risk for development of cancer and other diseases. Because children's food preferences and practices are initiated early in life (e.g., 2–5 years of age), early dietary intervention programs may have immediate nutritional benefit, as well as reduce chronic disease risk when learned healthful habits and preferences are carried into adulthood. Families and child‐care settings are important social environments within which food‐related behaviors among young children are developed. FJV preferences, the primary predictor of FJV consumption in children, are influenced by availability, variety and repeated exposure. Caregivers (parents and child‐care providers) can influence children's eating practices by controlling a vailability and accessibility of foods, meal structure, food modeling, food socialization practices, and food‐related parenting style. Much remains to be learned about how these influences and practices affect the development of FJV preferences and consumption early in life.

Children's fruit, juice and vegetable (FJV) and fat intakes do not meet recommended guidelines. Since personal factors account for only a small percentage of the variability in children's FJV consumption, social and environmental influences were explored via focus group discussions with Grade 4-6 African-, Euro- and Mexican-American students and parents. Questions included the effects of social influences, availability and accessibility on children's FJV and low-fat food choices. Few ethnic differences were noted. A variety of low-fat items and fresh FJV (not cut-up) were available at home; older children were expected to prepare their own. Eating out occurred at least twice a week; FJV were not usual restaurant choices. Students reported some modeling by parents (more mothers) and friends (usually at lunch). Negative peer responses for eating vegetables were reported. Parents were concerned with children eating too much junk food and not enough FJV, recognized the outside influences their children received about food, and reported several methods to encourage children to eat FJV. Recommendations for future interventions are proposed.

Objective: To pilot test theory-based questionnaires to measure socioenvironmental in¯uences on children's fruit, juice and vegetable (FJV) consumption as reported by parents. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Parents of fourth to sixth grade students completed socioenvironmental questionnaires. The students completed food records (FRs) for 2 days in the classroom. Subjects: Interviews were completed by 109 parents (17% African-American, 32% Hispanic-American and 51 Euro-American). Results: Student mean daily FJV intake was 2.1 servings. Principal components analyses revealed subscales measuring positive and negative parenting practices; selfef®cacy for modelling and planning/encouraging FJV consumption, and making FJV available; encouraging, consequences and discouraging food socialization practices; negative home, cost and canned/frozen food barriers; meal planning; child shopping; mother food preparation; and child lunch and dinner FJV preparation practices. Internal consistencies were adequate to high. Negative parent practices and negative home FJV barriers were signi®cantly negatively correlated with child FJV consumption variables. Planning/encouraging self-ef®cacy was positively associated with fruit consumption, and child dinner FJV preparation was signi®cantly negatively correlated with child juice consumption. Conclusions: These questionnaires may provide important insights about the relationship between parent-reported socioenvironmental in¯uences and children's FJV consumption. Future work should test these questionnaires with larger groups of parents and youths, with more reliable estimates of usual FJV intake, e.g. 7-day food records, to obtain a detailed understanding of how parents in¯uence what children eat. Tests of models of relationships among these variables are warranted, but should control for possible confounding variables, e.g. socioeconomic status, gender of the child, etc.