Le Bigot Macaux A
Public Health Nutr. 2001 Feb;4(1A):141-6. doi: 10.1079/phn2000109.
The lifestyles and diets of children in developed countries is changing rapidly in response to the social and cultural climate, as well as the availability of an increasing range of foods. The aim of this on-going study is to assess the trends in food-related behaviours of children and their attitudes towards food and nutrition. The study also monitors markers for physical activity, which have been presented elsewhere (Bellisle et al, 2000). Three successive surveys (1993, 1995, and 1997) were carried out on samples of 1000 French children aged 9--11 years and their mothers.
Attitudes towards food varied markedly between children and their mothers. Children viewed food primarily as a necessity of life, whereas mothers viewed food primarily as a pleasure for their child, with necessity and nutrition given a lower importance. Contrary to popular belief children's enjoyment of 'unhealthy' and 'healthy' foods was similar. French-fries were the favourite food for 92% of children, closely followed by pasta (89%). Fruit and candy received similar scores (82% and 81% respectively), suggesting that external factors such as convenience are the prime barrier to fruit consumption rather than the enjoyment factor. Over the three surveys a strong persistence of the traditional French meal pattern has been demonstrated, with breakfast, lunch and evening meals eaten by 97%, 96% and 99% of children respectively. One increasing occurrence is the viewing of television during meal times with 25% of breakfasts, 46% of afternoon snacks and 41% of evening meals consumed in front of the television. Children's attitudes towards food demonstrated an overwhelming trust of their mother and her ability to provide them with nourishing foods. Mothers often found it difficult to reconcile the demands of family life, employment, healthy eating and the maintenance of a pleasurable atmosphere at mealtimes.
Overall, children and mothers appeared to have divergent attitudes towards food. An understanding of children's enjoyment of foods considered more 'healthy' or less 'healthy' enables effective nutrition messages to be developed for children. However, further work is needed to explore the long-term impact of mothers' attitudes towards food and mealtimes on a child's relationship to food and eating habits during adolescence through to adulthood.
发达国家儿童的生活方式和饮食正随着社会文化环境以及种类日益繁多的食物供应而迅速变化。这项正在进行的研究旨在评估儿童与食物相关行为的趋势及其对食物和营养的态度。该研究还监测身体活动指标，相关内容已在其他地方发表（贝利西勒等人，2000年）。对1000名9至11岁的法国儿童及其母亲进行了连续三次调查（1993年、1995年和1997年）。
儿童和母亲对食物的态度差异显著。儿童主要将食物视为生活必需品，而母亲主要将食物视为给孩子带来的乐趣，对必要性和营养的重视程度较低。与普遍看法相反，儿童对“不健康”和“健康”食物的喜爱程度相似。薯条是92%儿童最喜欢的食物，紧随其后的是意大利面（89%）。水果和糖果得分相近（分别为82%和81%），这表明诸如便利性等外部因素是水果消费的主要障碍，而非喜好因素。在这三次调查中，传统法国用餐模式表现出很强的持续性，分别有97%、96%和99%的儿童吃早餐、午餐和晚餐。一个越来越常见的现象是用餐时看电视，25%的早餐、46%的下午点心和41%的晚餐是在电视前吃的。儿童对食物的态度表现出对母亲及其提供营养食物能力的绝对信任。母亲们常常发现很难兼顾家庭生活、工作、健康饮食以及在就餐时营造愉快氛围的需求。
总体而言，儿童和母亲对食物的态度似乎存在分歧。了解儿童对被认为更“健康”或不太“健康”食物的喜好，有助于为儿童制定有效的营养信息。然而，还需要进一步开展工作，以探究母亲对食物和用餐时间的态度在儿童从青春期到成年期与食物的关系及饮食习惯方面的长期影响。
