title: Eating competence of Hispanic parents is associated with attitudes and behaviors that may mediate fruit and vegetable-related behaviors of 4th grade youth.
abstract: Parent self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, and behaviors toward cooking and fruits and vegetables mediate children's eating. Eating competence, an intra-individual approach to food-related attitudes and behaviors, is associated with healthful outcomes but has not been studied as a moderator of parent food-related behaviors that mediate healthful eating in 4th grade children. Parents (n = 339; 78% Hispanic, 89% female) of 4th graders who participated in an impact study of the Cooking with Kids curriculum in Santa Fe, NM schools eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education completed the following surveys: Satter eating competence inventory for low-income (ecSI/LI) (16 items, Likert scale, possible score 0-48); modeling behaviors related to food preparation and fruits/vegetables (11 items, Likert scale, possible score 0-33); self-efficacy/outcome expectancies (SE/OE) (12 items, Likert scale, possible score 12-60); and availability of fruits/vegetables (20 items, possible score 0-20). Higher scores indicate more desired behaviors. The mean ecSI/LI score was 33.6 ± 8.5; 59% were eating competent, i.e., ecSI/LI ≥ 32. Eating-competent parents demonstrated more modeling (16.3 ± 5.0 vs. 14.0 ± 4.3; P < 0.001), greater SE/OE (53.7 ± 10.1 vs. 51.2 ± 8.5; P = 0.03), and greater in-home fruit/vegetable availability (12.7 ± 3.0 vs. 11.9 ± 3.2; P = 0.02). Two clusters of modeling behavior were defined: achievers and strivers. Modeling achievers (34.9 ± 6.9) were more eating competent (P < 0.001) than strivers (30.3 ± 8.9). Eating competence moderated parent food-related behaviors. Measuring eating competence may contribute to understanding parent behavior as a mediator in school-based nutrition interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA. lohseb@psu.edu
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lohse
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cunningham-Sabo
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D063105:Food Assistance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005518:Food Preferences; D058870:Food, Organic; D005638:Fruit; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education*; D012574:Schools; D020377:Self Efficacy; D014675:Vegetables