The effect of providing nutritional information about fast-food restaurant menus on parents' meal choices for their children
Nutrition Research and Practice
;
: 667-672, 2015.
Article
in English
| WPRIM
| ID: wpr-58990
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:
To encourage healthier food choices for children in fast-food restaurants, many initiatives have been proposed. This study aimed to examine the effect of disclosing nutritional information on parents' meal choices for their children at fast-food restaurants in South Korea. SUBJECTS/METHODS:
An online experimental survey using a menu board was conducted with 242 parents of children aged 2-12 years who dined with them at fast-food restaurants at least once a month. Participants were classified into two groups the low-calorie group (n = 41) who chose at least one of the lowest calorie meals in each menu category, and the high-calorie group (n = 201) who did not. The attributes including perceived empowerment, use of provided nutritional information, and perceived difficulties were compared between the two groups.RESULTS:
The low-calorie group perceived significantly higher empowerment with the nutritional information provided than did the high-calorie group (P = 0.020). Additionally, the low-calorie group was more interested in nutrition labeling (P < 0.001) and considered the nutritional value of menus when selecting restaurants for their children more than did the high-calorie group (P = 0.017). The low-calorie group used the nutritional information provided when choosing meals for their children significantly more than did the high-calorie group (P < 0.001), but the high-calorie group had greater difficulty using the nutritional information provided (P = 0.012).CONCLUSIONS:
The results suggest that improving the empowerment of parents using nutritional information could be a strategy for promoting healthier parental food choices for their children at fast-food restaurants.
Full text:
Available
Index:
WPRIM (Western Pacific)
Main subject:
Parents
/
Restaurants
/
Power, Psychological
/
Meals
/
Food Labeling
/
Korea
/
Nutritive Value
Limits:
Child
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Journal:
Nutrition Research and Practice
Year:
2015
Type:
Article
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