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Maternal self-efficacy regarding children's eating and sedentary behaviours in the early years : Associations with children's food intake and sedentary behaviours

journal contribution
posted on 2010-12-01, 00:00 authored by Karen CampbellKaren Campbell, Kylie HeskethKylie Hesketh, A Silverii, Gavin AbbottGavin Abbott
Introduction. This cross-sectional study aimed to describe parents' views regarding self-efficacy to influence children's eating and sedentary behaviours at two time points in early childhood, and to examine associations between these views and children's eating and sedentary behaviours.

Methods.
Mothers of 1-year (n=60) and 5-year-old children (n=80) were recruited through Maternal and Child Health Centres and kindergartens in Victoria, Australia. Mothers reported children's dietary intake, television viewing and perceptions of their self-efficacy regarding children's eating and sedentary behaviours.

Results.
Overall, 5-year-old children consumed significantly more energy-dense food and drink and spent significantly more time viewing TV/DVD and video. Mothers of 1-year-olds were significantly more likely to report they felt confident to limit child's consumption of non-core foods/drinks, and to limit screen access (p<0.001). Measures of maternal self-efficacy were directly associated with 5-year-old children's water (p<0.05), and fruit and vegetable consumption (p<0.005), and with 1-year-old children's vegetable consumption (p<0.05), and were inversely associated with cordial and cake consumption (p<0.05). Maternal self-efficacy to limit viewing time was inversely associated with screen-time exposure in both age groups (p<0.01).

Conclusion
. This study suggests that mother's self-efficacy regarding limiting non-core foods/drinks and limiting screen-time exposures may decline during the first few years of a child's life. Higher maternal self-efficacy was associated with children having more obesity protective eating and sedentary behaviours at both ages. Interventions to support the development of healthy lifestyle behaviours may be most effective if they target mothers' self-efficacy in these domains early in their child's life.

History

Journal

International journal of pediatric obesity

Volume

5

Issue

6

Pagination

501 - 508

Publisher

Informa Healthcare

Location

London, England

ISSN

1747-7166

eISSN

1747-7174

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal; C Journal article

Copyright notice

2010, Informa Healthcare