Parental and Peer Influences on Food Consumption of Preschool African-American Children

Abstract

Sources of social influence on urban African-American preschool children's food consumption were coded from videotapes of noontime and evening meals of 42 children. The frequency of eating prompts was associated with the age of the child, the source (mothers, fathers, age mates, other adults, and day-care staff), and socioeconomic status. The success of the prompt in changing the child's eating behavior was dependent on the type of prompt.