title: Children's diets: what do parents add and avoid?
abstract: An interview was carried out, using a standard questionnaire, with the parents of 103 children attending as new patients to a medical paediatric outpatient clinic. This interview was designed to determine the extent of deliberate additions and avoidances to their children's diets. Some specific alteration to the diet was seen in 48 children. There were 38 avoidances and 20 additions of some form of food or mineral substance. In 10 children there were both additions and avoidances. Avoidance of a foodstuff, most commonly food additives, was either for a particular illness or health belief. Dairy products and meats were the next most frequently avoided substances. Additions to the diet were predominantly vitamins and minerals. The sources of dietary advice were the media, mainly magazines and books, and family members. Medical influence on dietary alterations was small.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Christchurch School of Medicine, Christchurch Hospital.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mogridge
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005503:Food Additives / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005527:Food, Fortified; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D005503:Food Additives