Abstract
Purpose: Children may influence household spending through their parents using “pester power,” where children request items
repeatedly to persuade their parents to buy them. This study prospectively examines parent-child shopping behaviors across eight countries to identify predictors of children’s diet and weight.
Methods: This study is part of the prospective multi-country IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyleinduced
health effects in children and infants) study. The analysis includes 12,969 parent-child dyads with measured height and weight and parent-reported information on diet and behavior at baseline and 7,562 dyads after two years.
Results: At baseline, most parents (60%) reported “sometimes” purchasing their children’s requests, with some differences by
country. Children whose parents often acquiesced consumed greater proportions of sugar and fat in their diet (3.7 and 2.0 percentage points, respectively), but were not more likely to be overweight or obese. Avoiding taking the child grocery shopping because the child pushed for treats and often asking for items from television were both independently associated with higher sugar and fat diets and greater BMIs. At the two-year follow-up, children who often asked for items were more likely to become overweight (OR=1.36), while never asking for items was protective against overweight (OR=0.61) and obesity (OR=0.70).
Conclusions: Pestering was modestly related to diet and weight. Children whose parents avoided shopping with them were heavier
and had worse diets, which may suggest reverse causality. The relationship between asking for items from television and weight over time suggests that limiting television advertising may foster healthier outcomes.
repeatedly to persuade their parents to buy them. This study prospectively examines parent-child shopping behaviors across eight countries to identify predictors of children’s diet and weight.
Methods: This study is part of the prospective multi-country IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyleinduced
health effects in children and infants) study. The analysis includes 12,969 parent-child dyads with measured height and weight and parent-reported information on diet and behavior at baseline and 7,562 dyads after two years.
Results: At baseline, most parents (60%) reported “sometimes” purchasing their children’s requests, with some differences by
country. Children whose parents often acquiesced consumed greater proportions of sugar and fat in their diet (3.7 and 2.0 percentage points, respectively), but were not more likely to be overweight or obese. Avoiding taking the child grocery shopping because the child pushed for treats and often asking for items from television were both independently associated with higher sugar and fat diets and greater BMIs. At the two-year follow-up, children who often asked for items were more likely to become overweight (OR=1.36), while never asking for items was protective against overweight (OR=0.61) and obesity (OR=0.70).
Conclusions: Pestering was modestly related to diet and weight. Children whose parents avoided shopping with them were heavier
and had worse diets, which may suggest reverse causality. The relationship between asking for items from television and weight over time suggests that limiting television advertising may foster healthier outcomes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication date | 2014 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
| Event | ISBNPA 2014 Annual Meeting: Promoting Healthy Eating and Activity Worldwide - San Diego, United States Duration: 21 May 2014 → 24 May 2014 Conference number: 13 http://isbnpa2014.org/Default.aspx |
Conference
| Conference | ISBNPA 2014 Annual Meeting |
|---|---|
| Number | 13 |
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | San Diego |
| Period | 21/05/2014 → 24/05/2014 |
| Internet address |