Effects of Mothers' Nutritional Attitudes and Knowledge on Their Children's Obesity Inducing Factors

Lee, Kyoung Ae

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of mothers' nutritional attitudes and knowledge on their children's obesity inducing factors: eating habits, food preferences, food frequencies, and physical activities. The subjects were 774 mothers and their elementary school children (774) in Busan. About thirty percent of the children had a tendency toward obesity as a result of their eating habits, food preferences, food frequencies, and physical activities, but their mothers' nutritional attitudes and knowledge had little affect on their children's obesity inducing factors. Though the children were interested in their body weight changes, they chose not to practice appropriate eating habits. Thus, education about good eating habits and appropriate physical activities should be promoted for children's health and growth. Because the mothers' nutritional attitudes and knowledge had little affect on their children in this study, nutrition education in school needs to be enhanced. However, because mothers play many roles in their children's habit and health, they also need to be educated in order that their nutritional attitudes and knowledge help their children's health and growth directly. And school and home should be more closely connected.