Elviira Lehto1, Carola Ray1, Saskia Te Velde2, Stefka Petrova3, Vesselka Duleva3, Michael Krawinkel4, Isabel Behrendt4, Angeliki Papadaki5, Asa Kristjansdottir6, Inga Thorsdottir6, Agneta Yngve7, Nanna Lien8, Christel Lynch9, Bettina Ehrenblad9, Maria Daniel Vaz de Almeida10, Cirila Hlastan Ribic11, Irena Simčic12, Eva Roos1. 1. 1Folkhälsan Research Center,Paasikivenkatu 4,00250 Helsinki,Finland. 2. 3EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics,VU University Medical Center,Amsterdam,the Netherlands. 3. 4National Center of Public Health and Analyses,Sofia,Bulgaria. 4. 5Institute of Nutrition Sciences,Justus-Liebig-University Giessen,Giessen,Germany. 5. 7Department of Social Medicine,Preventive Medicine and Nutrition Clinic,University of Crete,Heraklion,Crete,Greece. 6. 9Unit for Nutrition Research,Landspitali-University Hospital and Faculty of Food Science and Human Nutrition,University of Iceland,Reykjavik,Iceland. 7. 10School of Hospitality,Culinary Arts and Meal Sciences,Örebro University,Campus Grythyttan,Sweden. 8. 12Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine,University of Oslo,Oslo,Norway. 9. 11Department for Biosciences and Nutrition at Novum,Karolinska Institutet,Stockholm,Sweden. 10. 13Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences of Porto University,Porto,Portugal. 11. 14National Institute of Public Health,Chronic Diseases Prevention Centre,Ljubljana,Slovenia. 12. 15National Education Institute of the Republic of Slovenia,Ljubljana,Slovenia.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine which factors act as mediators between parental educational level and children's fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake in ten European countries. DESIGN: Cross-sectional data were collected in ten European countries participating in the PRO GREENS project (2009). Schoolchildren completed a validated FFQ about their daily F&V intake and filled in a questionnaire about availability of F&V at home, parental facilitation of F&V intake, knowledge of recommendations about F&V intake, self-efficacy to eat F&V and liking for F&V. Parental educational level was determined from a questionnaire given to parents. The associations were examined with multilevel mediation analyses. SETTING: Schools in Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden. SUBJECTS: Eleven-year-old children (n 8159, response rate 72%) and their parents. RESULTS: In five of the ten countries, children with higher educated parents were more likely to report eating fruits daily. This association was mainly mediated by knowledge but self-efficacy, liking, availability and facilitation also acted as mediators in some countries. Parents' education was positively associated with their children's daily vegetable intake in seven countries, with knowledge and availability being the strongest mediators and self-efficacy and liking acting as mediators to some degree. CONCLUSIONS: Parental educational level correlated positively with children's daily F&V intake in most countries and the pattern of mediation varied among the participating countries. Future intervention studies that endeavour to decrease the educational-level differences in F&V intake should take into account country-specific features in the relevant determinants of F&V intake.
OBJECTIVE: To examine which factors act as mediators between parental educational level and children's fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake in ten European countries. DESIGN: Cross-sectional data were collected in ten European countries participating in the PRO GREENS project (2009). Schoolchildren completed a validated FFQ about their daily F&V intake and filled in a questionnaire about availability of F&V at home, parental facilitation of F&V intake, knowledge of recommendations about F&V intake, self-efficacy to eat F&V and liking for F&V. Parental educational level was determined from a questionnaire given to parents. The associations were examined with multilevel mediation analyses. SETTING: Schools in Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden. SUBJECTS: Eleven-year-old children (n 8159, response rate 72%) and their parents. RESULTS: In five of the ten countries, children with higher educated parents were more likely to report eating fruits daily. This association was mainly mediated by knowledge but self-efficacy, liking, availability and facilitation also acted as mediators in some countries. Parents' education was positively associated with their children's daily vegetable intake in seven countries, with knowledge and availability being the strongest mediators and self-efficacy and liking acting as mediators to some degree. CONCLUSIONS: Parental educational level correlated positively with children's daily F&V intake in most countries and the pattern of mediation varied among the participating countries. Future intervention studies that endeavour to decrease the educational-level differences in F&V intake should take into account country-specific features in the relevant determinants of F&V intake.
Entities:
Keywords:
Children; Daily fruit and vegetable intake; Europe; Parental educational level
Authors: Heather D Gibbs; Amy R Kennett; Elizabeth H Kerling; Qing Yu; Byron Gajewski; Lauren T Ptomey; Debra K Sullivan Journal: J Nutr Educ Behav Date: 2016-05-20 Impact factor: 3.045