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Repeated exposure to unrealistic notions of female beauty and body shapes, and limited gender stereotypes, may result in the internalization of those standards by pre‐adolescent girls. The purpose of this content analysis is to examine the celebrity role models to whom young girls are exposed via magazines specifically targeted at the “tween” audience. Female celebrities are contrasted with those in magazines targeted at older adolescent girls.

Two pre‐adolescent girls' magazines, Total Girl and Barbie, and two adolescent girls' magazines, Dolly and Girlfriend, were analyzed for the first six months of 2005. All photos (including advertising images) of female celebrities were recorded along with image context; celebrity occupation and age were researched.

Results showed that there was little difference between pre‐adolescent girls' magazines and adolescent magazines in the frequency of celebrity images, and surprisingly only minimal difference in the average age of featured celebrities (22 compared with 23 years old). The occupations of the most frequent celebrities (in all magazines) were limited to actors, singers, and socialites. Further examination of the 12 most frequent celebrities appearing in the pre‐adolescent magazines identified that many of them were publicly recorded as engaging in behaviors such as disordered eating and drug use.

The study is novel in its analysis of celebrities in pre‐adolescent magazines, which have grown in popularity over the last decade. The frequent appearance of relatively older celebrities who could be considered age‐inappropriate role‐models is cause for concern; educational interventions that focus on criticality towards female beauty standards need to be reinforced in primary schools.

Pre‐adolescents (children between the ages of eight and 12) are becoming increasingly important in today's market segment, in terms of both absolute size and spending power. Although much research is available concerning adolescent consumer behaviour, very little is known about pre‐adolescent consumer behaviour. The purpose of this research was to examine the extent to which normative and informative conformity issues affect the purchase of apparel products by pre‐adolescents. Results from the 200 pre‐adolescents interviewed indicate that: —as pre‐adolescents age, social conformity influence increases; —both males and females are concerned that others like the clothing they purchase, and purchase clothing to look like peers; —they purchase clothing to conform with both social and organised groups; —they most often observe informational clothing behaviours from peers, athletes, entertainers and siblings. This study revealed that pre‐adolescents begin to use clothing to conform to peer groups as early as age eight, a finding never before reported.

This research aimed to analyze the interactions of “pre-adolescent” students in the classroom through relationships sustained by structure, agency, and power exercises based on Anthony Giddens’ Theory of Structuring.¹ A qualitative research approach was used with the characteristic of a case study in a municipal public school in the city of Itabira (MG), Brazil. As procedures for recording the evidence, we used the application of a questionnaire, observation of the classroom and listening to students and teachers in a class of the sixth year of elementary school II during the 2017 school year. The results indicated that the vision of “pre-adolescence” marked by biological and psychological changes remains institutionalized for school professionals. The students demonstrated the need for the teacher to use his teaching authority to set limits in the classroom, however, this exercise of agency-power by the teacher must be negotiated and mediated by the participation of “pre-adolescents.” In view of this procedural context, “pre-adolescent” students cannot be held responsible for the instability of the interactive process in the classroom if the historical and social context through which these students pass is not considered in comparison to the institutionalized characteristics solidified through the process, time, and space by the school and/or some of its representatives (teachers).

The purpose of this paper was to explore the uses and gratifications sought by the primary target market (pre-adolescent and adolescent groups) of a new social media site, TikTok. The paper also sought to identify how much of a role the motivations of self-expression, social recognition and fame-seeking (important considerations within adolescent psychology development) played in the use of this particular social networking sites (SNS).

Following meticulous sampling procedures, ensuring national representation and stringent ethical practices, self-completion questionnaires were sent to pupils at 60 schools in the five key administrative regions of Denmark. The data was examined using analysis of variation tests, followed by a two-step cluster analysis using the log-likelihood method.

The findings indicated that passive consumptive behaviours were prevalent among both pre-adolescent and adolescent groups and that the gratification of entertainment/affect was the primary driver behind all behaviours: passive consumptive, participatory and contributory. Pre-adolescent groups were more active and heavier users of TikTok than were adolescents. In line with adolescent psychology theories, the authors found that contributory behaviours were motivated by a wish to expand one’s social networks, by fame-seeking, self-expression and identity-creation needs.

Pre-adolescent consumers are heavier users and interact more with the TikTok SNS than adolescent consumers, including in relation to seeking out new social networks. This is potentially of great concern as children are less likely to understand the hidden dangers of online predatorial and privacy issues.

The authors extend their understanding of the contributory functions of SNS. Motivations of fame-seeking, self-expression and social recognition are key to understanding the uses and gratifications of TikTok consumers, especially during the adolescent years; contrary to scholarly assertions that these motives are often unconscious, the sample of this study assertively and explicitly confirmed these needs. A further novel insight of this study was that both the gratifications of relationship building and relationship maintenance were sought out via the contributory, rather than the participatory function of TikTok.

The traditional Greek diet, a variant of the Mediterranean diet, has attracted the interest of scientists for many years as a health promoting nutritional model. Many studies have shown that Mediterranean food habits are associated with low rates of ischaemic heart disease and of various types of cancer. Although some data exist on the dietary intakes of young children and adolescents, there are no data regarding dietary intakes and food habits of pre‐adolescents in Greece. The present study tries to partly cover this gap by studying the anthropometric characteristics, dietary intakes and food habits of 65 pre‐adolescent children, aged ten to 12 years. The results of this study show the gradual abandonment of the traditional diet by pre‐adolescent children, in Greece, in favour of a more Westernized diet. They also show the urgent need for nutrition education in order to try to reverse this trend.v

It is well known that the foundations for food choice are laid down in childhood. Poor dietary habits learned in childhood may persist into adult life. The dietary awareness of children is subject to a range of complex interacting forces, for example, peer group pressure, social factors and television advertising. Many investigators have developed innovative methodologies to record these parameters. Reviews, therefore, the methodological issues of studies which have attempted to elicit pre‐adolescent attitudes, knowledge and beliefs in food. Finally, makes recommendations about methodological issues that should be considered when studying pre‐adolescent children’s food choice.

The authors applied a multidimensional conceptual lens that incorporated physical, emotional, social, intellectual and spiritual health dimensions to explore pre-adolescent children's understanding of health and what it means to be healthy.

Forty-six children aged 9–11 years old completed a short questionnaire about their understanding of health and what it means to be healthy. Data analysis was completed through a deductive analysis applying a multidimensional conceptual lens and an inductive thematic analysis of the content of children's responses to each question.

The analysis of children's understandings of health and being healthy both revealed five common themes: Being well, physically active, fit and healthy; Healthy eating and body composition; Physical activity examples; Physical activity characteristics; and Unsure or ambiguous. Across both questions the majority of responses reflected the physical dimension of health, with only a few references to the social and emotional dimensions. There was no evidence of the intellectual or spiritual dimensions of health in children's responses to either question.

The authors’ data suggest that the plateau in adolescent UK children's trajectory of understandings originates earlier in childhood, with children aged 9–11 showing a similarly limited understanding of health and being healthy as UK adolescents. Moreover, this focus on the physical dimension is narrower than previously considered as it is restricted to the movement category of this dimension only.

The authors’ findings have implications for the timing and focus of health education interventions for children.

The aim of the study was to compare the nutritional status of children having celiac disease (CD) with those not having the disease in the age group of 7-12 years. Children not having CD were from first- and second-degree siblings of the children affected to match for family and environment. In Indian celiac pediatric population, studies on nutritional status of celiac children and comparisons with their siblings as reference have not been reported.

Children with CD (n = 50) and without CD (n = 25) were matched for age and were purposively selected. Nutritional assessment included anthropometry, biochemical, clinical and nutrient intake. Weight and height measurements were recorded as per the standardized techniques. Biochemical investigations were done by skilled technicians. A two-day 24-h dietary recall method was used for calculation of nutrient intake. The observations were categorized as celiac and non-celiac children and pre-adolescents in age group of 7-9 years and 10-12 years.

The issues of being underweight and of low height according to age among celiac children were rampant. The non-celiac children were comparatively taller than children with CD. The hemoglobin and serum iron were significantly lower in celiac than non-celiac group (p < 0.01). Energy intake was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in celiac pre-adolescents as compared to non-celiac children (7-9 years). The protein intake was higher in non-celiac children, and the difference was highly significant (p < 0.01). The fat consumption was higher in celiac pre-adolescents. The nutritional status of celiac children was poor as compared to non-celiac children.

The present study is an attempt to compare the nutritional status of celiac children with their siblings.

The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of nutrition and health counselling on quality of life (QoL) among celiac children (CC) aged 7-12 years, which was reported by the parent. So far, no study has emphasized on impact of nutritional counselling on QoL in CC. The QoL in the present study was reported by parents of celiac and non-celiac (NC) subjects.

This is an interventional study. Follow-up celiac cases aged 7-12 years (n = 50) were compared with NC cases (n = 25). A 24-item instrument was standardized for reliability and validity and was used to assess the QoL of children on a 100-score scale. The scale used four dimensions and explored physical, emotional, social and family outlook. The impact of health counselling using posters, leaflets and a booklet prepared on simplification of disease, gluten-free diet and its treatment was determined.

Total QoL scores were better in NC children (7-9 years), whereas celiac pre-adolescents (CP; 10-12 years) showed higher QoL scores than NC pre-adolescents. NC QoL scores were significantly higher than CC in emotional and mental domain (p < 0.02) and family outlook (p < 0.01). In CP, physical well-being (p < 0.01) and social well-being (p < 0.04) were significantly higher, whereas family outlook was significantly lower (p < 0.01). After repetitive counselling sessions, the CC had higher scores than their NC siblings. Postintervention QoL scores in CC (7-9 years) and pre-adolescents improved from 77.5 to 80.95 and from 80.16 to 83.75, respectively, and a significant positive shift was seen in family outlook (p < 0.05).

This study presents a comparative analysis on impact of nutrition counselling on QoL in Indian CC and their comparison with NC siblings matched for age.

This article has been withdrawn as it was published elsewhere and accidentally duplicated. The original article can be seen here: 10.1108/00346659710157240. When citing the article, please cite: Suzanne Owen, Pam Schickler, Jill Davies, (1997), “Food choice: how to assess attitudes of pre-adolescent children”, Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 97 Iss: 1, pp. 5 - 11.