Factors Affecting Dietary Behavior Among Parents of Primary School Children：Gender Difference of Parents

Abstract

The aim of the present study was twofold : to understand and clarify the factors related to dietary behavior among parents of primary school children and to obtain suggestions for programs that support a healthy lifestyle for parents. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of items on lifestyle, health awareness, and subjective health as well as items from the Eating Behavior Scale (EBS) and the Communicative and Critical Health Literacy Scale (CCHL), was administered to fathers and mothers of 378 primary school children. Data collected from 278 families were then analyzed. Results revealed that factors such as health-related awareness in parents, health literacy of the fathers, efforts towards maintenance of proper body weight and the subjective health of the mothers were related to dietary behavior. The findings further seemed to suggest that these factors may be related to good dietary behavior. These results may also have a significant effect on the dietary behavior of children living together in similar environments. Children’s lifestyles are easily influenced by their parents, and hence it is necessary to not only educate children but also their parents in order to assist them in establishing a healthy lifestyle of children. Education focused on raising parents’ health awareness, improving father’s health literacy, improving mother’s subjective health, and the importance of mother’s weight maintenance may improve parents’ dietary behavior.