Gender Analyses of Brazilian Parental Eating and Activity With Their Adolescents' Eating Habits

Abstract

Objective: To explore the associations between the eating habits of sons and daughters and the eating habits, sedentary behavior, and physical activity of their fathers and mothers.

Design: A cross-sectional survey of adolescents.

Setting: The 6 largest schools in Londrina, Brazil.

Participants: A total of 842 adolescents, 842 mothers, and 842 fathers participated in this study.

Main outcomes measures: Eating habits of adolescents and sedentary behavior, physical activity, and eating habits of their fathers and mothers, measured by questionnaire.

Analysis: The associations were identified by binary logistic regression, adjusted by adolescent's age, family's socioeconomic status, parents' educational level, and the other parental behavior.

Results: Independent of educational level and socioeconomic condition, mothers' eating behaviors seem to be more closely related to their adolescent children's eating behavior (vegetables, fruits, fried foods, soft drinks, and sweets [P = .001]) than fathers' behaviors (fried foods and sweets [P = .01], soft drinks [P = .001]). In addition, the behaviors of mothers were more associated to the behaviors of daughters than to the behaviors of sons (7 vs 5 associated behaviors), while behaviors of fathers were more associated with the behaviors of sons than to the behaviors of daughters (4 vs 2 associated behaviors). No associations were noted for sedentary and physical activity behavior and eating behaviors between adolescents and their parents.

Conclusions and implications: Many eating habits of adolescents were associated with eating habits of both fathers and mothers, emphasizing the importance of family-focused health promotion actions. Future research is needed incorporating into the analyses, among others, the nutritional statuses and the clustering of healthy and unhealthy behaviors of parents and their children.

Keywords: adolescent; eating habits; food intake; parents; sedentary behavior.