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Taylor Pawlowski

Dr. Cassel

English 101

1 August 2019

What influences an adolescents eating habits?

HEY! Yes, you there! Did you see on twitter that Wendy’s is bringing back the spicy chicken

nuggets? The most common areas that affect an adolescents eating preferences and habits are

individual, environmental, physical and societal influences. The way an adolescent views

unhealthy and healthy eating habits depend on areas in their daily life that affects their behavior

and habits towards food. Individual influences include an adolescent’s food preference, taste,

attitude, knowledge, and beliefs. Environmental influences are factors such as their parents and

home, peers, and their socioeconomic status. Some examples of typical physical influences for

an adolescent that affects a child’s choice of food are their schools, local fast food restaurants,

and conveniences. Lastly, an adolescent’s societal influences may include factors such as food

advertising and media exposures such as television and computers.

Individual Influences

An adolescent’s eating habits come from their individual influences that affects their food

preferences, how the certain food tastes, their attitudes towards foods, the amount of knowledge

they have, and individual beliefs about food. From the article, “The Development and

Modification of Children's Eating Habits”, states that, “Children are predisposed to learn through

experience and the quality and quantity of their experiences with food have powerful effects on
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their eating habits” (Cooke 32). An adolescent’s food preference stems from what they are

exposed and introduced to. The overall preference comes from a negative or a positive

experience that they will associate with their choice of food. A child’s food preference also

effects on how they associate a food experience with how they think it will taste. From the article

“Individual and Environmental Influences on Adolescent Eating Behaviors”, stated “Studies with

adolescents and adults have shown that taste is one of the most important influences on food

choices. In focus groups with adolescents taste and the appearance of food were frequently

discussed as primary factors influencing food selection” (Story 42). Once they associate food

with their taste they are set on that they have a certain opinion about it depending on how it

looks, taste, and from their overall experience from it. If they believe certain food is bad tasting

or associate food with bad thoughts, they aren’t going to be willing to try it. A child’s attitude

and beliefs about certain food and food habits will affect what foods they will be willing to eat.

From the journal article titled, “The Development and Modification of Children’s Eating

Habits”, writes, “Young children are also predisposed to be neophobic about food. Neophobia,

fear of the new, manifests itself as a rejection of unfamiliar foods in favor of familiar ones”

(Cooke 31). Adolescents can often connect their overall food preference with what they already

know. Cooke also added, “In a survey of almost 600 mothers of 2-6-year-old children,

Neophobia was significantly negatively associated with fruit, vegetable and meat intake though

not with consumption of dairy foods, starchy staples or cakes and biscuits” (Cooke 32). The

survey concluded that Neophobia negatively affected children who would eat certain types of

fruit, vegetables and meats that could potentially have a more variety of different flavors but not

with bland foods such as dairy and starches. Lastly, the amount of knowledge a child has on

food, food preferences, and types of foods impacts a child’s opinion on food. The author of the
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article “Improving Adolescent Eating Habits and Prevention of Child Obesity: Are we neglecting

the crucial role of parents?” states, “A study in Brisbane asked adolescents what the definition of

health was and the students perceived health to be mainly related to their physical body, its

functional capabilities, the absence of ill health and the absences of physical restriction. The

definition of health given by the students encompassed a theme of being “fit” but largely focused

on not having an illness not being physically restricted, not getting breathless and the desire to

avoid health services. The students gave a negative and individually driven definition has shown

that the students have a negative point of view of eating healthy” (O’Dea 69). If the child has a

negative connotation to the word “healthy”, when the child sees vegetables or fruit on their plate

they automatically associate it with a negative thought so therefore the child will not try it or like

it. The amount of knowledge a child has about health and food choices, no matter where the

knowledge could grow from, is how a child can be negatively or positively impacted by their

food choices and point of view of trying and eating certain foods as well as affecting their

behavior and opinions about food.

Environmental Influences

An adolescent’s environment plays a huge role when determining the influences of an

adolescents eating habits. Environmental influences include a child’s parents and family, socio-

economic status, and peers. The Parents play a crucial role when it comes to introducing and

exposing children to certain foods and habits at a young age. From the article, “Improving

Adolescent Eating Habits and Prevention of Child Obesity: Are we neglecting the crucial role of

parents?” it wrote, “Recent studies suggests that parents are still considered by children and

adolescents to be the gatekeepers of the family food supply and that parents act as important role
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models for children’s eating behaviors” (O’Dea 70). When adolescents are young the parents are

the providers. That means that what-ever the parents decide to buy, cook, and provide for the

child, that is what the child is going to enjoy and eat. From the same article, the author, O’Dea

adds, “The Social Learning Theory suggest that parents may need self-efficacy and food skill

development in order to be able to buy, store, and prepare healthy food for their children and

adolescents” (O’Dea 70). For an adolescent to be exposed to healthier food options and habits at

a young age, is up to the parents and their own knowledge to use their skills to conduct positive

eating habits and behavior for their children. Also, the child’s home environment also affects

their eating habits. From the article, The Development and Modification of Children's Eating

Habits, it states, “Fruit and vegetable consumption is higher in children who eat at the same time

as their parents and in preschoolers who eat the same food at meal times” (Cooke 33). Children

are most likely to consume healthier food options such as fruits and vegetables if the see their

parents, family, or peers eat them as they are eating them. One of the authors from the article,

“Gaining Children’s perspectives: A Multiple Approach to explore environmental influences on

healthy eating and physical activity”, conducted a study to explore children’s environmental

eating habits had children capture their food in local settings and the study found and wrote,

“Over a third of all photos of food featured fruit and

vegetables: half of these were taken in home environments

and one quarter were of packed lunches. Overall the home

was the most common setting in which food was

photographed” (Pearce 616). The home environment

Fig. 1- The children’s photo (dinner at the table”
showed to be where children were doing a lot of their Pearce, A., Kirk, C., Cummins, S., Collins, M.,
Elliman, D., Connolly, A. and Law, C. (2009).
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number one providers for a child’s food options and diet, the parent’s socioeconomic status is a

factor that affects the food options and the amount of food being given to the child on a daily

basis. From the article, “How Family Socioeconomic Status, Peer Behaviors, and School-Based

Intervention on Healthy Habits Influence Adolescent Eating Behaviors” it states, “Economically

disadvantaged parents are less likely to buy healthy foods and present fewer healthy dietary

behaviors” (Moreno-Maldonado 94). Economically disadvantage house-holds are more likely to

have healthier food options accessible to their children so the child’s diet is ultimately affected

from how much their parents make and what kinds of foods they are able to provide. The author

from the source, “How Family Socioeconomic Status, Peer Behaviors, and School-Based

Intervention on Healthy Habits Influence Adolescent Eating Behaviors” wrote, “A study showed

that family affluence being a significant predictor of daily fruit and vegetable consumption and

breakfast intake, cultural capital, assessed by the number of books in the household, having an

independent and strong contribution to healthy eating among adolescents” (Moreno-Maldonado

94). It shows that their home and food coming from their home has a huge impact on what they

are eating. The types of food in a child’s home environment is what a child knows and is

accessible to a child’s diet. Lastly, an adolescent’s peers also influence their eating habit. A

TEMPTEST study findings were considered from Moreno-Maldonado wrote, “Findings reported

by the TEMPTEST study, a European research project, showed an association between peer

encouragement of healthy eating and consumption of healthy foods in adolescents from 10-to-17

years old “(Moreno-Maldonado 95). Peer pressure and peer encourage can easily affect a child.

If a peer is eating a certain kind of food around a child and convinces a child to try it, they are

going to. The child may learn to like the types of food that the peers around them are eating and

exposed to in their own environment. When it comes to an adolescent’s peers, it has an effect on
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a child socially. Every child’s family, home environment has different eating habits and food

preferences. Every family eats different foods, at different times, and in different places.

Physical influences

Physical influences such as an adolescent’s school, local fast food restaurants, and food choices

out of convenience. From the article source written by Mary Story, states, “National data show

that foods eaten at lunch (from all sources a la carte, vending machines, and school lunch)

compose 35% to 40% of student’s total daily energy intake” (Story 45). Children spend a lot of

their day during the week at school, surrounded by their same aged peers. Children always are

learning and trying new things from their peers so their classmates and peers are easily able to

affect their eating habits as well. If a child sees another child grab a certain type of food in the

lunch line or out of the vending machine, that may affect what they choose to eat that day. The

article, “The Development and Modification of Children’s Eating Habits”, Cooke writes, “With

few exceptions, the food service in schools fails to offer real healthy options or does so in

competition with irresistible ‘treats’” (Cooke 35). Therefore, if a child is exposed to a treat that

may be popular or accessible in a vending machine or lunch line, the child cannot resist the

pressure of schools selling treats or the peer pressure that their peers at school may be eating it.

Food that is fast or fast food in general is an easy and available way to negatively affect an

adolescents diet. From the article, “Individual and environmental influences on adolescent eating

behaviors”, it states “Fast food restaurants welcome adolescents and provide a clean, friendly,

brightly lit atmosphere and a socially acceptable place to spend time with friends. Fast food

outlets are also a prime employer of adolescents and that increases their exposure to fast food”

(Story 46). Fast food restaurants provide a young audience with easy, on the go fast food and an

environment for adolescents and their peers to hang out and potentially make money at which
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affects how much time they are around these types of food choices and their convenience. Mary

Story also wrote about food convenience in her journal article and said, “In a study using focused

groups, adolescents discussed wanting to sleep longer in the morning instead of taking the time

to eat or prepare breakfast not wanting to wait in a long lunch line, eating at fast food restaurants

because all the food is served quickly and choosing foods at home that can be prepared quickly”

(Story 43). If an adolescent works a lot in a fast food restaurant they are more likely to eat there

more often than someone who does not. If a child’s parent isn’t home much, a child is more

likely to not want to eat breakfast and not have an available dinner as soon as they get home

from school or a job. Overall, an adolescent’s physical environment such as school, fast food

places, and places out of convenience all affects their food choices.

Societal influences

Societal influences such as food advertising and media exposures such access to a television

or computer can affect the types of food choices and habits an adolescent acquires. An example

of a societal influence that can impact a child’s food habits is exposure of media. Mary Story

wrote a study in her article and stated, “A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation on

children’s media use found in a nationally representative sample of households that two thirds

(65%) of children and adolescents aged 8 to 18 years had a television in their bedroom” (Story

47). When an adolescent has access to a television in a space such as their bedroom they are

likely to see a lot of more food commercials with catchy advertisements. Also, having a

television in your own bedroom is more impactful than not having one because a lot of time is

spent in a bedroom, especially in the year of 8-18 years. Television is filled with all different

kinds of commercials and shows that include fast food and restaurants advertisements for their

foods. Mary Story used research from the US food advertising and marketing system and stated,
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“The US food industry spends about $11 billion annually on advertising; food manufacturers

spend $7 billion and food establishments- mainly fast food restaurants- spend $3 billion. Most of

the advertising focuses on highly packaged and processed foods” (Story 48). The US food

industry spends a high amount of money to play commercials and advertise in local stores of

their high packaged and processed foods. This impacts an adolescents diet because it is what is

constantly showed in television commercials that a child is watching as well as advertised in

their local stores and shops. It can negatively or positively impact their food habits by the brands

of food constantly being advertised on media and store shelves. All in all, adolescent’s eating

habits are influenced by media at an early age that will carry on throughout their adult years.

To conclude this research question, the most common areas that affect an adolescents eating

preferences and habits are individual, environmental, physical and societal influences. The way

an adolescent views unhealthy and healthy eating habits start in their young childhood from their

individual, environmental, physical and societal influences that surround them. The individual

influences of a child stem from their individual food preferences, taste, and beliefs and attitude

towards certain foods. An adolescent’s home life and family impacts what types of food they are

exposed to as well as how often they eat and how much they are given to eat. Their environment

and surroundings are impactful to a child’s eating influences because of their school, peers, and

their families’ socioeconomic status. When it comes to a child’s physical environment, as an

adolescent grow up, they are able to be more exposed to their peers eating habits as well as

having access to fast food and convenience food items after becoming more independent and

getting a job. Lastly, an adolescents societal influence such as their exposure to media and food

advertising can easily impact their diet by the amount and access to television and media. All in
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all, an adolescents individual, environmental, physical, and societal factors in their life influences

their eating habits.

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Works Cited

Cooke, L. (2004). The development and modification of children's eating habits. Nutrition

Bulletin, 29(1), pp.31-35.

Moreno-Maldonado, C., Ramos, P., Moreno, C. and Rivera, F. (2018). How family

socioeconomic status, peer behaviors, and school-based intervention on healthy habits

influence adolescent eating behaviors. School Psychology International, pp.92–118.

O'Dea, J. (2005). Improving adolescent eating habits and prevention of child obesity: Are we

neglecting the crucial role of parents? Nutrition & Dietetics, [online] 62(2-3), pp.66-68.

Available at: https://web-b-ebscohost-

com.ezproxy.wittenberg.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=7&sid=12819f84-00fc-

49f9-bae8-c2a50507ad8f%40sessionmgr101 [Accessed 30 Jul. 2019].

Pearce, A., Kirk, C., Cummins, S., Collins, M., Elliman, D., Connolly, A. and Law, C. (2009).

Gaining children's perspectives: A multiple method approach to explore environmental

influences on healthy eating and physical activity. Health & Place, [online] 15(2),

pp.614-621. Available at: https://journals-ohiolink-

edu.ezproxy.wittenberg.edu/pg_99?313395169947414::NO::P99_ENTITY_ID,P99_ENT

ITY_TYPE:276812900,MAIN_FILE&cs=3zHizIPS6v2iv-

aPGR_C4B_5_0fxa906AetCVoo0KFoGkOkvTzm0qHXvZUErOUyJjyjSao74CRppC88_

dLiYNiw [Accessed 30 Jul. 2019].

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STORY, M., NEUMARK-SZTAINER, D. and FRENCH, S. (2002). Individual and

Environmental Influences on Adolescent Eating Behaviors. Journal of the American Dietetic

Association, 102(3), pp.S40-S51.