The longitudinal link between mothers' and adolescents' snacking: The moderating role of television viewing
Publication year
2018Number of pages
6 p.
Source
Appetite, 120, (2018), pp. 565-570ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor
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Organization
SW OZ BSI OGG
SW OZ RSCR SOC
SW OZ BSI ON
Journal title
Appetite
Volume
vol. 120
Languages used
English (eng)
Page start
p. 565
Page end
p. 570
Subject
Developmental Psychopathology; Inequality, cohesion and modernization; Social Development; Ongelijkheid, cohesie en moderniseringAbstract
A large proportion of adolescents eats too many energy-dense snacks, which is detrimental for their current and future health. To understand how to promote healthy dietary behaviors in adolescents, we need to identify factors that affect their snacking. While previous cross-sectional work has shown mother-child similarities in eating behavior, longitudinal studies are lacking. Hence, the first aim of this study was to examine whether maternal snacking predicted changes in adolescents' snacking over time. A second aim was to examine whether adolescents' television viewing magnified the strength of this longitudinal association. Television viewing may increase the motivation to eat the snacks consumed by mothers later on, for example through food advertisement exposure and mindless eating. To address both aims, 2051 adolescents (Mage baseline = 13.81; 51.5% boys) were asked to report on their snacking and television viewing three times, with intervals of one year. Moreover, a subsample of mothers of adolescents (N = 1080) reported on their snacking at baseline as well. The results indicate that maternal snacking indeed predicts adolescents' snacking over time and that this effect is more pronounced among adolescents who watch a great amount of television. These findings attest to the importance of mothers in forming adolescents' snacking, not only concurrently but also prospectively. Additionally, this study highlights the relevance of assessing other home environmental factors that may influence maternal effects on their children's snacking.
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Academic publications [245410]
- Electronic publications [132943]
- Faculty of Social Sciences [30351]
- Open Access publications [106466]
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