title: The Role of Parents' Critical Thinking About Media in Shaping Expectancies, Efficacy and Nutrition Behaviors for Families.
abstract: A convenience survey completed online by 137 4-H parents in Washington state explored their orientation toward critical thinking regarding media sources and content and its implications for family dietary behaviors. Parents' critical thinking toward media sources predicted their information efficacy about content. Critical thinking toward media content predicted information efficacy about sources, expectancies for parental mediation, and expectancies for family receptiveness to lower-fat dietary changes. Expectancies for receptiveness to dietary changes and expectancies for parental mediation predicted efficacy for implementing healthy dietary practices; this strongly predicted healthy dietary practices. Media-related critical thinking, therefore, indirectly but consistently affected self-reported family dietary behaviors through its effects on efficacy for managing media and expectancies for the family's receptiveness to healthy dietary changes. The results suggest parents' media literacy skills affect their family's dietary behavior. Health campaigns that help parents interpret and manage the media environment may benefit all family members.
authors.affiliation: a Murrow Center for Media & Health Promotion Research, Edward R. Murrow College of Communication , Washington State University.
authors.forename: Erica Weintraub
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Austin
authors.affiliation: a Murrow Center for Media & Health Promotion Research, Edward R. Murrow College of Communication , Washington State University.
authors.forename: Bruce E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Pinkleton
authors.affiliation: b Department of Marketing Communications, Ecole des Sciences de la Gestion , Université du Québec à Montréal.
authors.forename: Marie Louise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Radanielina-Hita
authors.affiliation: c Department of Management , University of Wisconsin - La Crosse.
authors.forename: Weina
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ran
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003146:Communications Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003657:Decision Making; D004032:Diet / Q000523:psychology*; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*