Who Is Influencing Whom? Latino Parent–Child Request Interactions and Product Purchases in Food Retail Environments

Abstract

This study examines Latino parent–child interactions about foods and beverages requested in food retail environments in San Diego, CA. It seeks to extend our understanding of parent–child request interactions and purchases by studying how the number of product request interactions and purchases differ based on four factors that have been understudied in previous parent–child interaction research: parent gender, child gender, product healthfulness, and who initiated the request interaction (parent or child). By unobtrusively observing Latino parent–child dyads for the duration of a brief shopping trip, we found that parent and child gender are related to the number of request interactions initiated by parents and children. For gender-specific child-initiated request interactions, sons initiated more request interactions with fathers while daughters initiated more request interactions with mothers. Most request interactions were for products that were categorized as calorie dense, and a higher percentage of these products were purchased as a result of parent-initiated (vs. child-initiated) request interactions. The results provide important considerations for practitioners and researchers working on improving nutrition and reducing obesity. Assumptions about who is influencing whom in food store request interactions are challenged, requiring more research.

Food environment solutions for childhood obesity in Latin America and among Latinos living in the United States

“… 143 , 144 Additionally, Latino parents in the United States are more likely than white parents to bring their children with them when grocery shopping. 147 A body of literature on different approaches to nudge consumers—including children—to make healthier choices inside food stores is growing sharply. 149 , 150 , 151 For instance, changing placement of healthy and unhealthy foods, banning ultra‐processed foods from check out and placing them out of the reach of children, along with changes in promotional strategies of ultra‐processed foods are promising strategies but lack sufficient real‐world testing.…”

“…144 In fact, certain types of traditional retailers, like farmers' markets and produce markets, are recognized as important sources of unprocessed and minimally processed foods. 145 Aside from the influence of the retail food environment on households with children, research suggests that children influence parents' purchasing behavior, both among Latinos in the United States 146,147 and in Latin America. 148 Although parents report buying ultra-processed foods to please their children in both settings, 148 Latino children and parents mutually influence each other's choices at the point of purchase.…”

Mothers’ Diet and Family Income Predict Daughters’ Healthy Eating

“…Parental food access and behavior modeling are strongly associated with children's food choices (36). When mothers emphasize health goals for their family, children consume more healthful and less unhealthful food (37). Children also may influence food choice when shopping with parents (38), so mother and daughter can be considered a dyad, each having some influence on the decision to eat healthfully, an important consideration for BCFH positive families, wherein the mother's diet is associated with her daughter's HEI.…”

A Cluster Randomized Trial to Promote Healthy Menu Items for Children: The Kids’ Choice Restaurant Program

“…Printed child menus included copy and design elements that influence ordering behaviour, such as placement of new menu items in specific locations on the menu (e.g., upper left hand corner), strategic formatting techniques (e.g., boxing menu items), and the use of catchy names and phrases [ 33 ]. Promotional materials were designed to appeal to children and adults based on our research [ 11 , 28 , 34 , 35 ], and those of others demonstrating the reciprocal influence of children and parents’ health behaviours outside the home [ 36 ]. All of the restaurant wait staff, including hosts and bussers, were invited to participate in a general 15-min training, providing an overview of the intervention, as well as customer service and suggestive selling techniques to promote the new healthy child menu items.…”