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Relationships between energy balance knowledge and the home environment
Megan E Slater1, John R Sirard, Melissa N Laska
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. slate074@umn.edu
Journal of the American Dietetic Association
|March 30, 2011
Summary
Family knowledge of energy balance is linked to home environment factors like food availability and media access. Interventions should involve the whole family for better results.
Area of Science:
- Public Health and Nutrition
- Behavioral Science
- Family Studies
Background:
- Home environment and energy balance knowledge are crucial for dietary and physical activity behaviors.
- Previous research has not explored the relationship between home environment characteristics and energy balance knowledge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate cross-sectional associations between home environment characteristics and energy balance knowledge in youth and parents.
- To identify specific home factors influencing energy balance knowledge for potential intervention targets.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study involving 349 youth/parent pairs from the Minneapolis/St Paul metropolitan area.
- Data collected via parent-reported home inventories (food, physical activity, media) and youth/parent energy balance knowledge questionnaires.
- Linear regression models adjusted for student grade and parental education were used for analysis.
Main Results:
- Paired energy balance knowledge (average of youth and parent scores) correlated significantly with home food availability variables.
- Paired knowledge was also associated with media equipment availability/accessibility (β=-1.40, P=0.005) and activity-to-media ratio (β=0.72, P=0.003).
- Individual youth or parent knowledge scores showed limited association with most home environment characteristics.
Conclusions:
- Home environment factors, particularly food availability and media access, are associated with family energy balance knowledge.
- Intervention strategies should target the family unit, not just individuals, to effectively improve energy balance knowledge and behaviors.
- Findings highlight the importance of a holistic family approach in public health initiatives promoting healthy lifestyles.
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