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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #268467
Title: The young and adolescents: Initiating change in children’s eating behavior

Author
item BARANOWSKI, TOM - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item O'CONNOR, TERESIA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item BARANOWSKI, JANICE - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2010
Publication Date: 6/29/2011
Citation: Baranowski, T., O'Connor, T., Baranowski, J. 2011. The young and adolescents: Initiating change in children’s eating behavior. In: Preedy, V. R., Watson, R. R., Martin, C. R. editors. Handbook of Behavior, Food and Nutrition. 1st Edition. Part XXXV: The Young and Adolescents. New York, NY: Springer. p. 3285-3294.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Limited success in existing interventions for initiating dietary behavior change among children is forcing a more detailed analysis of how to promote change. The mediating variable model provides a conceptual framework for understanding how behavior change interventions work and integrates more basic behavioral with intervention research. The mediating variable model, thereby, provides a scientific foundation for designing and evaluating dietary behavior change interventions with children. Eight variables likely provide a comprehensive set of mediating variables for initiating children’s dietary behavior change. Procedures for effectively changing each of these mediators remain to be clearly specified. A double mediating variable model provides a framework for promoting change in parenting behavior to influence child dietary behavior. The ability to advance this research requires overcoming limitations of the validity and reliability of existing measures. Item Response Modeling provides important methods for enhancing measurement of psychosocial variables. Much research remains to provide a sounder scientific foundation for research on initiating children’s dietary behavior change.