title: Parental nutrition knowledge and attitudes as predictors of 5-6-year-old children's healthy food knowledge.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Young children's knowledge about healthy food may influence the formation of their eating behaviours, and parents have a major influence on the development of children's knowledge in the early years.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the extent to which parental nutrition knowledge and attitudes around food predicted young children's knowledge of healthy foods, controlling for other influences such as socio-economic status (SES) and parent education levels in a cross-sectional research design. Children were given a healthy food knowledge activity and parents completed questionnaires.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty primary schools in Adelaide, Australia, stratified by SES.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 192 children aged 5-6 years and their parents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Structural equation modelling showed that parent nutrition knowledge predicted children's nutrition knowledge (r = 0·30, P < 0·001) independently of attitudes, SES and education level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nutrition education for parents, targeted at low-SES areas at higher risk for obesity, may contribute to the development of healthy food knowledge in young children.
authors.affiliation: Sansom Institute for Health Research, School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia.
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zarnowiecki
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sinn
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Petkov
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dollman
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D058870:Food, Organic; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires