title: Comparison of family interaction patterns related to food and nutrition.
abstract: The study examined family interaction patterns related to food and nutrition and parents' attitudes toward the importance of nutrition and compared interaction patterns and attitudes of parents participating in a nutrition education program (self-selected) to a cross-sectional sample of parents. It also assessed differences according to educational level, income, and mother's employment status. Income and education levels were higher for the self-selected sample. Parents from the self-selected sample had higher attitude scores and interaction behavior scores than those in the cross-sectional sample. Ninety-five percent of mothers and 83% of fathers with young children in the cross-sectional sample ate the evening meal together. Parents who participated in a nutrition education program reported discussing topics related to food and nutrition with their families more frequently than did parents in the cross-sectional sample. For both fathers and mothers, attitude and interaction scores differed with education level. Mothers who were employed part-time showed the most positive attitudes toward nutrition and the highest family interaction scores. Possible explanations for and implications of these findings are discussed.
authors: Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-4401.
authors: A H
authors: AH
authors: Gillespie
authors: C L
authors: CL
authors: Achterberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005190:Family; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors