2018 Volume 12 Issue 1 Pages 19-25
Chopsticks are popular dining utensils in many Asian countries. Children start using them when they are as young as three years of age. It is imperative for children to hold chopsticks correctly. Our previous study suggested that a mother’s role is very important in her children’s eating preferences. In this study, the relationship between the ways mothers and their children hold chopsticks was investigated. A total of 128 mothers of 51 boys and 77 girls participated in this cross-sectional study. The mothers were asked questions relating to their use and their children’s use of chopsticks. Fisher’s exact tests were applied. Results revealed that 70.8% of mothers and 34.0% of children held chopsticks correctly. A significant relationship between mothers and children who held chopsticks correctly was found (p<0.001). Moreover, there was a significant relationship between mothers who thought it important to use chopsticks correctly and those who used them correctly (p<0.001). However, there was not a significant relationship between mothers who thought it important for children to use chopsticks correctly and children who held chopsticks correctly. Results suggested that mothers who used chopsticks correctly affected their children’s correct use of chopsticks.
