title: Factors associated with parents' attitudes to unhealthy foods and beverages.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous research has identified convenience, enjoyment, value for money and perceived goodness as primary dimensions of parents' attitudes to foods and beverages. The aim of the present study was to examine the factors associated with parents' scores on each of these attitudinal dimensions to identify key issues for future interventions designed to improve parents' food provision behaviours and children's diets.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 1302 Australian parents of children aged 8 to 14 years completed an online survey relating to their food-related beliefs. Linear regression analyses were undertaken to examine factors associated with parents' attitudes to soft drinks and energy-dense nutrient-poor foods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Consistent factors were identified for both energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and soft drinks, indicating that similar approaches could be adopted in interventions for both product categories. The primary factors were social norms, child pestering, television viewing and exposure to food advertising.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Food advertising represents a common link between the primary factors, indicating that it constitutes a critical component of future interventions designed to modify parents' attitudes to unhealthy food products and to reduce the frequency with which these foods are consumed by children.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3921-1174
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pettigrew
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jongenelis
authors.affiliation: The University of Adelaide.
authors.forename: Pascale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Quester
authors.affiliation: Cancer Council New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.affiliation: The University of Adelaide.|South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002253:Carbonated Beverages / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012494:Sampling Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: child obesity; food marketing; social norms; soft drinks; unhealthy foods and beverages