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This pilot study is aimed to explore the potential problem of picky eating (PE) among university students majoring in food and nutrition as prospective nutrition professionals.
Abstract
Purpose
This pilot study is aimed to explore the potential problem of picky eating (PE) among university students majoring in food and nutrition as prospective nutrition professionals.
Design/methodology/approach
The current pilot study included a total of 87 South Korean students majoring in food and nutrition. The self-designed Food Bridge program was applied to identify the underlying causes of PE and examine the possibility of overcoming it. The program included planning and practicing stepwise exposures to target foods that were the subject of PE. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and distributive differences between the success and failure groups in the program were analyzed using a chi-squared test.
Findings
Vegetables were the most commonly disliked foods (74.7%). About 46% of all students mentioned negative experiences as a reason for food dislikes. Almost half (45%) of these negative experiences were due to external coercion: forced eating (30.0%) and vomiting after forced eating (15.0%). About 66% of the students achieved relatively positive results in overcoming PE. The proportion of failures tended to be higher when the reasons for food dislike included negative experiences.
Originality/value
As the current study implied, students majoring in food and nutrition can be subject to PE. Despite study limitations, this study is meaningful in that it raises concerns over the potential problem of PE and its treatment among prospective nutrition professionals. This study is also expected to serve as a basis for further research on adult PE.
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This study aimed to explore the association of childhood experience of being forced to eat – where a particular person forced a child to eat a specific food item against one's…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to explore the association of childhood experience of being forced to eat – where a particular person forced a child to eat a specific food item against one's will – on food consumption, especially vegetables later in young adulthood.
Design/methodology/approach
An online questionnaire survey was conducted from 19 to 24 February 2020 with 1,277 young Korean adults in their 20s. A total of 1,226 eligible responses were obtained, wherein 410 (33.4%) responses with forced-eating experiences in childhood were collected. To answer the survey questionnaire, the respondents were asked to recall one of the most memorable forced-eating episodes.
Findings
The results showed that forced-eating occurred mostly among lower grades or pre-schoolers, at home or in schools/childcare facilities, and by parents or homeroom teachers. Vegetables were the most common target food for forced-eating. The Forced-Eating-Experienced group with vegetables as the target food tended to have significantly lower preference for and acceptance of vegetables. Furthermore, among this group, those who had displayed unpleasant post-ingestion physical symptoms after forced-eating or refused to eat the target vegetables at all despite forced-eating, showed significantly lower acceptance of vegetables. Additionally, they were also less likely to eat the target vegetable at present, but more likely to agree that their current dietary habits were affected by their childhood experiences of forced-eating.
Originality/value
The study attempted to fill the knowledge gap on the association of negative childhood experiences of forced-eating with food consumption, especially vegetables, later in young adulthood.
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Stacia Maher, Patricia Lopez, M. Diane McKee, Darwin Deen, Alice Fornari, Jason Fletcher and Arthur Blank
The paper aims to evaluate a primary care obesity prevention intervention, targeting low‐income minority parents in the USA. The first objective is to describe the barriers to…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to evaluate a primary care obesity prevention intervention, targeting low‐income minority parents in the USA. The first objective is to describe the barriers to behavior change experienced by families. The second objective is to understand the types of strategies that were used by the health educator to empower families to engage in healthy behavior changes.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative methods were used to conduct a content analysis of the intervention's instruments and health educator's notes on counseling sessions. Demographic data were collected from the patient information system.
Findings
Households were 80 percent Hispanic and 17 percent African American. A total of 26 percent of the children were overweight or obese. Themes identified were poor parenting skills, which included sub themes of picky eating, food‐related tantrums, bottle feeding, and submitting to unhealthy food requests; poor knowledge and skills regarding healthy eating; and psycho/social issues acting as barriers to healthy eating, including sub themes of housing issues, parental unemployment and intergenerational conflict regarding food choices.
Originality/value
There are few family‐based obesity prevention interventions, especially in low‐income minority communities. This study found that parents are interested in improving the intake of healthy foods for their families; however, they face substantial barriers. This study supports enhanced health assessment as part of the preschool preventive visit. The authors also found that a skilled, culturally competent, health educator is essential to extend counseling beyond the brief encounter with physicians, as well as advocacy for systematic and policy level changes, to address the complex context in which behavior change can occur.
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Janavi Kumar, Koushik Adhikari, Yijing Li, Erika Lindshield, Nancy Muturi and Tandalayo Kidd
The purpose of this paper is to enable community members to discuss their perceptions of eating habits and physical activity in relation to sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to enable community members to discuss their perceptions of eating habits and physical activity in relation to sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, and reveal facilitators and barriers to healthy eating behavior and physical activity engagement.
Design/methodology/approach
Nine focus groups, which included six groups from sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, two parents’ groups, and one teachers’ group, were conducted in a middle school in southwest Kansas. Individual influences, social influences, and larger contextual influences on early adolescent health were assessed by discussing behaviors, personal characteristics, and environmental factors, based on the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM).
Findings
Adolescent participants’ knowledge regarding healthful foods was limited. Taste and appearance were the two leading factors that contributed to food choices. Responses from adolescents, parents, and teachers all indicated difficulties when introducing new and healthful food items into adolescents’ diets. Besides physical education (PE) and school-related sports, the sources for physical activity were limited. Certain video games were specified as facilitators of physical activity by adolescents. Peer pressure was a predominant theme motivating most adolescents’ physical activities as well as food choices. These findings suggest numerous interrelated factors associated with healthy lifestyle in the population of this study.
Originality/value
By involving adolescents in the in-depth open-ended discussion through the focus groups helped reveal their unique attitudes, perceptions, and motivations toward practicing healthy lifestyles. Interventions targeting both behavior change and environmental change are needed.
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Chin Xuan Tan, Shuen Dee Goh, Seok Shin Tan and Seok Tyug Tan
The Malaysian movement control order is a series of national lockdowns implemented by the Malaysian federal government to contain the spread of Coronavirus disease-2019…
Abstract
Purpose
The Malaysian movement control order is a series of national lockdowns implemented by the Malaysian federal government to contain the spread of Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). The government has made it mandatory for all non-essential sectors to work remotely to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The eating behavior of working adults may have altered following the changes in working norms. This study aimed to assess the eating behavior of remote working adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 159 remote working adults were recruited through a convenience sampling approach. Bodyweight and body height were self-reported by the respondents. Body mass index was calculated according to the cut-off of World Health Organization standards. The eating behavior was evaluated using the eating behavior questionnaire.
Findings
Results revealed more than half of the remote working respondents did not practice meal skipping. Irrespective of the gender, more than 70% of the respondents consumed either breakfast, lunch or dinner every day. Most of the respondents consumed vegetables, bread/rice/noodles and meat/chicken at least two times per day. Regression analysis revealed meal skipping was associated with younger people, overweight status and median monthly household income.
Originality/value
Many sectors adopted remote working systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is postulated that working remotely will be a new normal even after this pandemic. Until now, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, little or no data are available on assessing the eating behavior of remote working adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study could provide an insight into the eating behavior of adults during remote working.
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Danaselvam Ugunesh, Ching Sin Siau, Mohd Nor Ahmar Bin Mohd Sanip and Hui Chin Koo
The paper aimed to explore the factors leading to lower rates of whole grain consumption amongst the Malaysian adult population according to the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aimed to explore the factors leading to lower rates of whole grain consumption amongst the Malaysian adult population according to the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA) model.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper employed a qualitative approach to explore the factors that influence whole grain consumption. Individual interviews were conducted online amongst Malaysian adults aged 18 years and above who purchase groceries and are responsible for food preparation at home. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using the NVivo version 12 software.
Findings
A majority of the respondents (N = 30; mean age = 39.2 years old) were females (n = 19, 63.3%) and lived in urban areas (n = 23, 76.7%). Even though over 86.7% of respondents (n = 26) had consumed whole grain products, a majority of them had inadequate knowledge surrounding whole grains (n = 25, 83.3%). Predominant barriers to whole grain consumption were perceived cost (n = 30, 100%), dislikes towards the sensory aspects of whole grain foods (n = 28, 93.3%), inadequate knowledge in identifying whole grains in foods (n = 25, 83.3%), poor awareness (n = 25, 83.3%), lack of knowledge in preparation of whole grain foods (n = 25, 83.3%), a wide variety of other tasty cuisine alternatives in Malaysia (n = 25, 83.3%), low availability and accessibility of whole grain products (n = 18, 60%), cultural eating behaviours (n = 17, 56.7%) and family influence (n = 16, 53.3%). Besides that, having a longer preparation time, restrictive diets and social influences were minor barriers.
Research limitations/implications
This study addresses the barriers that should be highlighted in future health educational interventions, and presents a challenge to the food industry to develop whole grain foods which are easily accepted by consumers.
Originality/value
This is the first paper to outline the factors associated with poor consumption of whole grains amongst the Malaysian adult population.
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The purpose of this article is to examine the roles family members play in shaping young children’s food preferences and habits, as well as the extent to which these effects…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to examine the roles family members play in shaping young children’s food preferences and habits, as well as the extent to which these effects endure into adulthood.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on research in public health, marketing, nutrition and psychology, this paper examines how intergenerational influences (IGs) are manifested in the dietary domain.
Findings
Evidence suggests that the influence of early socialization is substantial, and that such impacts constitute an interesting yet sometimes overlooked set of forces that can help to guide our consumption behaviors as adults.
Originality/value
A detailed agenda for future research is proposed.
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Malene Gram, Margaret Hogg, Bodil Stilling Blichfeldt and Pauline MacLaran
The purpose of this paper is to address the meaning of food consumption practices in maintaining intergenerational relationships between young university students and their…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address the meaning of food consumption practices in maintaining intergenerational relationships between young university students and their parents.
Design/methodology/approach
Student food consumption has been mainly studied through quantitative methods, treating students as a homogenous group, more or less living in a vacuum, and often with the focus on nutrition. This paper gives voice to young adults to unpack the significance of cooking and food consumption in relation to maintaining or changing family ties. The study is based on 12 qualitative interviews, five focus groups and a workshop, with Danish and international students in Denmark. Theoretically, the study draws on family, consumption and transition research.
Findings
The authors identify four realms of intergenerational relationships in the context of food. The relationships range from a wish either to maintain the status quo in the relationship, or to change and rethink the relationship, and importantly, the act of maintaining or changing the family relationships may be initiated either by the grown-up child or by the parent. The study concludes that the act of moving away from home is a period of intense (re)construction of food consumption habits and skills, which draw several threads back to the family home, and relationships undergo change in various ways.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations of this study are that it has been carried out only in a Danish context.
Originality/value
The contributions of the study are capturing the children’s view of this transition, and providing insights into how apparently mundane consumption can be full of symbolic meaning. The paper will be of interest for researchers and practitioners seeking to understand intergenerational relations and consumption.
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A growing stream of consumer research has examined the family dynamics and consumption practices that come from the changing life stages. This study aims to better understand the…
Abstract
Purpose
A growing stream of consumer research has examined the family dynamics and consumption practices that come from the changing life stages. This study aims to better understand the narratives surrounding power struggles emanating from continued parental food provision upon the stages of adulthood. The study illustrates the contestations within the family as well as the strategies that recipients use to alleviate these tensions within the context of adult Greek daughters and sons.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used in-depth narrative interviews with 17 Greek consumers together with photo elicitation to examine consumers’ power struggles in experiencing continued food provision within the family.
Findings
The study demonstrates that continued food provision affects the stages of adulthood. The adult children go through a journey of negotiation and struggles of power arising within parental food provision practices. The study demonstrates four power-based struggles and four negotiation strategies to cope with and alleviate the contestations.
Research limitations
Such exploration allowed insights to emerge in relation to the narratives of sons and daughters themselves. However, there are two other relational partners – the food providers and the partners of the food recipients – whose perspectives were not captured but would further aid understanding if captured in future research.
Practical implications
The authors show that consumption practices at home can be a source of friction; thus, food related practices outside the family home can be encouraged to mitigate tensions. The findings could inform advertising campaigns and marketing strategies regarding the loving yet challenging family relationship.
Social implications
The authors encourage mothers to be reflective on the tendency towards continued provision, as the food provision contributes to the daughter and son’s sense of protracted adulthood stages. Insights from the study are applicable to family tensions in other contexts such as the boomerang generation.
Originality/value
This study focuses on a stage of family life and from a perspective of the recipient, both areas which have been previously under explored. The theoretical perspectives of power are used to contribute to areas of food and family consumption by showing how the provision of food marks meanings of love, but also reveals sources of power and contention. The study also contributes by exploring the role of food consumption in the protraction of adulthood.
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By using food consumption as a kaleidoscope, the aim of this paper is to illustrate the bidirectional and dialectical interactions among caregivers and between single children and…
Abstract
Purpose
By using food consumption as a kaleidoscope, the aim of this paper is to illustrate the bidirectional and dialectical interactions among caregivers and between single children and their multiple caregivers in Xiamen.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reports findings from in‐depth interviews with grandparents and parents (n=33) from ten three‐generational families and parents (n=20) from ten nuclear families with single children between six and nine years old.
Findings
Grandparents unequivocally accorded supreme importance to ensuring a child finishes his/her meals while parents tended to hold slightly more liberal views. These differences created higher conflict and tensions between the caregivers in three‐generational families as compared to nuclear households. Children in multigenerational families were more frequently force‐fed by adult‐caregivers whereas their counterparts were more capable of feeding themselves during meal times.
Research limitations/implications
This exploratory study provides in‐depth insights but carries the limitation of generalisability. Future research can apply similar methodology on bigger samples so as to ascertain a better estimation of the extent of stress and tension across generations over meal times in urban China.
Practical implications
The initial finding reported in this paper is useful for public health workers and family life educators in China to help families with children of middle childhood to manage tension arising from meal times.
Originality/value
Diverging from most parenting research which tends to focus on parent‐child dynamics, this paper included three generations – grandparents, parents, grandchildren – in the research conceptualization. This is important as grandparents are integral parts of childrearing in China.
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