Direct and indirect association between environmental factors and fruit intake, mediation by psychosocial factors: the Pro Children study

Abstract

Objectives: To explore direct associations between home and school availability of fruit and fruit intake, and the mediating role of attitude towards fruit, liking, perceived barriers and self-efficacy. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Primary schools in nine European countries. Subjects: Within the Pro Children study, data were collected on perceived home and school availability of fruit, psychosocial factors related to fruit intake and its frequency among 13 305 11-year-old schoolchildren. Results: Significant overall associations were found between child-reported home availability of fruit and fruit intake in all countries and in the total sample. School availability of fruit was associated with fruit intake in the pooled sample and in country-specific analyses in Sweden and the Netherlands. Liking (13?2-49?4 %) and self-efficacy (14?0-25?1 %) were the strongest mediators in the home availabilityfruit intake relationship, but there was also a direct association between home availability and fruit intake, except in Spain and the Netherlands. Mediating pathways of the school availability-fruit intake relationship could only be assessed for Norway, Sweden and the total sample. Attitude was a significant mediator in Norway (80?4 %) and in Sweden (25?3 %), while in the total sample also liking (38?7 %) and self-efficacy (23?0 %) were identified as significant mediators. Conclusions: The association between home availability of fruit and fruit intake is at least partly mediated by personal factors such as liking and self-efficacy indicates that fruit intake is not a complete automatic or unconscious behaviour.

Family meals can help children reach their 5 A Day: a cross-sectional survey of children's dietary intake from London primary schools

“…Research has been conducted in older children supporting this finding 49 50. Wind et al 51 also found cutting up vegetables correlated to children's intake. This study is the first study conducted in primary school children in the UK to support such findings.…”

Self-Efficacy as a Mediator of the Relationship Between the Perceived Food Environment and Healthy Eating in a Low Income Population in Los Angeles County

“…The Pro Children study, conducted with 11-year-old children in Europe, found that liking fruit and self-efficacy were both significant mediators of the relationship between fruit availability at home and fruit consumption. [20] The authors concluded that fruit intake is not a completely automatic or unconscious behavior and cognitive factors may be an important target for interventions to improve eating behavior in children in combination with efforts to improve the food environment.…”

Parenting Practices that can Prevent or Reduce Childhood Obesity

“…Longitudinal and cross-sectional studies both show that exposure to and availability and accessibility of healthy foods can increase the preference for and intake of these foods (Pearson, Biddle, & Gorely, 2009;Ventura & Birch, 2008;Wind, te Velde, Brug, Sandvik, & Klepp, 2010). Conversely, research has also shown that a permissive style of parenting that allows for availability of unhealthy food products at home is linked to children eating more total fat, sugar, and 'junk food,' and consuming more soft drinks (Gable & Lutz, 2000;Haerens, et al, 2008;McClain, Chappuis, Nguyen-Rodriguez, Yaroch, & Spruijt-Metz, 2009).…”