ERIC Number: EJ960144
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1696-2095
EISSN: N/A
Factors Influencing Adolescent Eating Behaviour: Application and Validation of a Diagnostic Instrument
Benarroch, Alicia; Perez, Silvia; Perales, Javier
Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, v9 n3 p1219-1244 2011
Introduction: Variables that predict the eating behaviour of teenagers are a high-priority objective of nutritional educational programmes. This research work is designed to verify whether the "Food Consumption, Intentions and Preferences Assessment Test" (FCIPAT) is useful when investigating the factors influencing adolescent eating behaviour patterns. Method: The sample consisted of 591 students aged 15-16 year old from the city of Melilla (Spain), distributed in diverse socio-cultural groups, mainly of Muslim (N=318) and Catholic (N=248) religion. The FCIPAT questionnaire considers a total of 118 variables, including demographic variables, eating habits, food preferences, psychosocial variables and food consumption. Results: Among other aspects, the results show that the test was useful in discriminating between the most influential psychosocial factors in the most recommended food groups (natural juices, fruit and vegetables) and those least recommended (sweets and fast food). For the most recommended foods, the most important factors were accessibility, beliefs about alcohol and self-control. For the least recommended, the most important factors were interest in diet and self-control. In this work, the "religion" was not found to be a predictor of any specific food-related behaviour. Discussion and Conclusions: We discuss the novelty of some results obtained, such as the influence of beliefs about alcohol, as well as the possible uniformising effect of globalisation on cultural eating habits. Some implications for educational intervention that aims to change the eating habits of adolescents also discussed. (Contains 5 tables.)
Descriptors: Religion, Eating Habits, Foreign Countries, Nutrition Instruction, Adolescents, Muslims, Catholics, Questionnaires, Food, Social Influences, Drinking, Beliefs, Self Control, Dietetics, Intervention
University of Almeria, Education & Psychology I+D+i. Faculty of Psychology Department of Educational and Developmental Psychology, Carretera de Sacramento s/n, 04120 LaCanada de San Urbano, Almeria, Spain. Tel: +34-950-015354; Fax: +34-950-015083; Web site: http://www.investigacion-psicopedagogica.org/revista/new/english/presentacion.php
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Spain
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A