Parenting Factors Predicting Longitudinal Fast-Food Consumption From Adolescence

Abstract

Adolescence has been identified as a critical developmental period predicting adult health. Despite this knowledge, few studies have examined the relationship between parenting/family variables occurring during adolescence and future food consumption patterns. The present study examined the predictive nature of family dinners and parent control over food in relation to longitudinal fast-food consumption beginning in adolescence and across the transition into adulthood. Data came from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. A group-based modeling technique identified distinct participant groups with similar trajectories of fast-food consumption across waves II-IV (1994-2008). Parent control over food and family dinner frequency were used as predictors of group membership in the final models. Four separate trajectories of fast-food consumption frequency emerged. Both parent control over food and family dinner frequency during adolescence were related to trajectory group membership, acting as protective factors against spikes in fast-food consumption. The observed relationships highlight key areas for positive change in parental involvement in children’s food choices and future health interventions to decrease fast-food consumption during this critical developmental period.