Parental perspectives on children’s meals regarding food outlets

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Restaurant food contributes appreciably to children’s diets and can be nutritionally suboptimal. Early food-related experiences can persist into adulthood. The main aims of this study were to identify Maltese children’s eating patterns and (using the Theory of Planned Behaviour) their parents’ attitudes, beliefs and social norms regarding their children’s choices when dining out. METHODS: A validated questionnaire aimed at parents of children aged 4-10 years was disseminated online via a boosted Facebook post during the period of December 2017 to March 2018 following ethical consent. The results were then analysed using Microsoft Excel, box and whisker plots and logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 497 questionnaires were retained after data cleaning. 51% of respondents said that their children’s meals were ordered from the child menu. Parental involvement increased the likelihood of a main menu item being chosen by 2.2 times. The proportion of children who chose their own meals increased with age of child. The highest proportion of child meals were chosen in fast food outlets (p=0.001). Pizza, chips and chicken nuggets were the main food choices; water was the most popular beverage (p<0.001). Specific food choices were significantly related (p<0.001) with healthfulness attitudes, depending on the respective food item. The most important normative belief was the perceived pressure to keep the child happy (p<0.0001). The main reported behavioural control was lack of choice in children’s menus, but portion sizes and type of restaurant were additional significantly associated factors (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that food choices for children are influenced by a number of factors which include parental attitudes, demographics, normative beliefs, behavioural controls amongst others. It is recommended to improve the menu variety for children whilst motivating children (through possible educational sessions), as well as their parents, to make healthier choices so as to improve dietary behaviours when dining out.