The relationship between parental modeling, eating patterns, and dietary intake among African-American parents

This article examines the relationship between the frequency with which African-American parents report modeling healthful dietary behaviors for their children and parental dietary intake.

Cross-sectional, baseline data from a community-based dietary change study to reduce fat intake and increase fruit and vegetable consumption among African-American parents was analyzed to identify role-modeling behaviors.

Subjects were 456 African-American parents who participated in a dietary change study as part of a national parent education group. Participants completed the Parental Dietary Modeling Scale, an eating patterns questionnaire and a food frequency questionnaire.

Descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were conducted.

Parental modeling of healthful dietary behavior was associated with the performance low-fat eating patterns (r = 0.48; P < .001), lower dietary fat intake (r = -0.30; P < .001), and higher consumption of fruits and vegetables (r = 0.18; P < .001).

The frequency with which parents model healthful dietary behaviors may be associated with parental dietary intake and may have long-term implications for the development of childhood eating patterns. Dietetics professionals need to carefully assess parents' current dietary modeling behaviors and inform parents about how performance of these general behaviors may affect their child's ultimate nutrition health.