The influence of parents on the food choices of Maltese children

Abstract

An exploratory study was conducted to investigate parental influence on Maltese primary school children's food choices. The main aim of this study was to uncover the various ways parents determine children's intake of certain foods rather than others. A self administered questionnaire was developed and distributed amongst parents of Year 4 primary school children. Overall results indicated that Maltese parents were aware of which foods were healthy; they knew what food they should include more and what food they should include less in their diet. However, they found it difficult to include healthy food regularly in their own and in their children's diet because of various circumstances. Results showed that parents, especially mothers play an important role in what children actually eat. Adding to this, it was also found that other members of the family, such as fathers, grandparents and siblings influenced the food choices of the children, but to a lesser extent. According to parents, the mass media, especially TV also had a strong influence on children's eating habits. The research results indicated that eating out, as a family was very common amongst Maltese families, especially during weekends. Results also showed that the different meals consumed during the day were eaten as a family during weekends more often than during weekdays. Based on the various outcomes of this research, it is recommended that parents strive to transmit positive healthy eating messages to their children and also that they work hand in hand with schools and teachers to guide and enable children to follow a healthy lifestyle by eating healthy foods and by participating more in physical activity