Abstract
Previous research indicated that preschoolers of lower socioeconomic status (SES) consume less healthy beverages than high SES preschoolers. The purpose of this study is to investigate the mediating role of parenting practices in the relationship between SES and plain water, soft drink and prepacked fruit juice (FJ) consumption in European preschoolers. Parents/caregivers of 3.5 to 5.5 years old (n = 6776) recruited through kindergartens in six European countries within the ToyBox-study completed questionnaires on socio-demographics, parenting practices and a food frequency questionnaire. Availability of sugared beverages and plain water, permissiveness towards sugared beverages and lack of self-efficacy showed a mediating effect on SES-differences in all three beverages. Rewarding with sugared beverages significantly mediated SES-differences for both plain water and prepacked FJ. Encouragement to drink plain water and awareness significantly mediated SES-differences for, respectively, plain water and prepacked FJ consumption. Avoiding negative modelling did not mediate any associations. Overall, lower SES preschoolers were more likely to be confronted with lower levels of favourable and higher levels of unfavourable parenting practices, which may lead to higher sugared beverage and lower plain water consumption. The current study highlights the importance of parenting practices in explaining the relation between SES and both healthy and unhealthy beverage consumption.
Highlights
IntroductionA recent European study in preschoolers showed that only about half of water intake from beverages was derived from plain water (both tap and bottled water without any additives) and nearly a quarter of total water intake from beverages from sweetened beverages (such as softNutrients 2016, 8, 591; doi:10.3390/nu8100591 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrientsNutrients 2016, 8, 591 drinks and especially prepacked fruit juice) [1]
A recent European study in preschoolers showed that only about half of water intake from beverages was derived from plain water and nearly a quarter of total water intake from beverages from sweetened beverages [1]
Daily intake of plain water, soft drinks and prepacked fruit juice is presented in Table 2, as well as mean scores and standard deviation on the eight parenting practices included in the study
Summary
A recent European study in preschoolers showed that only about half of water intake from beverages was derived from plain water (both tap and bottled water without any additives) and nearly a quarter of total water intake from beverages from sweetened beverages (such as softNutrients 2016, 8, 591; doi:10.3390/nu8100591 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrientsNutrients 2016, 8, 591 drinks and especially prepacked fruit juice) [1]. The importance of healthy choices already starts early in life since dietary habits are being formed at a young age and track into adolescence and adult life [4]. Developing healthy habits should already start in the first years of life. Given the young age of preschool children, parents play a fundamental role in developing a home environment that stimulates healthy eating habits among their children through general parenting style (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive or neglectful) and parenting practices (such as availability and accessibility, role-modelling and rewarding) related to eating behaviours [5,6]. In contrast to general parenting styles, parenting practices are behaviour-specific acts of parenting which may differ across children within a family depending on children’s age, gender, eating and activity behaviour and weight status, and which are situation-specific [7]
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