title: Investigating Mothers' Decisions to Give Their 2- to 3-Year-Old Child a Nutritionally Balanced Diet.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify, using the Theory of Planned Behavior, the sociocognitive factors that influence mothers' decisions toward healthy eating and limiting discretionary choices (eg, lollipops) for their children aged 2-3 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective correlational design with a 1-week follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 197 mothers completed the main survey; 161 completed the follow-up behavior measure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Phase 1 assessed intention, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control; and 2 additional variables of parental role construction and group norms. Phase 2 assessed follow-up behavior.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hierarchical multiple regressions (changes in multivariate coefficient) were used to predict mothers' intentions and actions for the two target behaviors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control predicted intentions; and intentions and perceived behavioral control predicted behavior for healthy eating and discretionary choices. Parental role construction was a significant predictor of intentions for both target behaviors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results provide support for the application of the Theory of Planned Behavior in this context, as well as the addition of parental role construction. The findings illustrate the potential importance of developing intervention programs that account for sociocognitive factors to modify mothers' child feeding practices that have implications for lifelong health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Mt Gravatt, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Teagan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Spinks
authors.affiliation: School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Mt Gravatt, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: kyra.hamilton@griffith.edu.au.
authors.forename: Kyra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hamilton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: Theory of Planned Behavior; children; maternal feeding behavior; mothers; nutrition