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"Monkey see, monkey do": Peers' behaviors predict preschoolers' physical activity and dietary intake in childcare

Stéphanie Ward1, Mathieu Bélanger2, Denise Donovan3

  • 1Centre de formation médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick, Pavillon J.-Raymond-Frenette, 100 rue des Aboiteaux, Université de Sherbrooke, Moncton, New Brunswick E1A 3E9, Canada.

Preventive Medicine
|January 15, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Preschoolers

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Physical Activity in Early Childhood

Background:

  • Children often imitate behaviors of similar individuals, making peers potential role models.
  • Peer influence is significant in shaping children's habits within social environments like childcare centers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if peer behaviors predict changes in preschoolers' dietary intake and physical activity.
  • To understand the longitudinal impact of peer influence on young children's health behaviors over nine months.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal study involving 238 preschoolers (aged 3-5) across 23 childcare centers.
  • Dietary intake assessed via weighed plate waste and digital photography; physical activity measured using accelerometers over five days.
  • Multilevel linear regressions analyzed the influence of peer behaviors on individual changes in diet and activity.

Main Results:

  • Preschoolers with dietary intake or physical activity levels most different from their peers showed the greatest change towards similarity.
  • Observed changes indicate a convergence towards peer norms in both eating and activity behaviors over the nine-month period.

Conclusions:

  • Peer behaviors significantly influence preschoolers' dietary intake and physical activity in childcare settings.
  • Children's peer groups can be leveraged to promote healthy eating and physical activity through positive role modeling interventions.

Keywords:
Child day care centersChild, preschoolDiet, food, and nutritionMotor activityPeer influence

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