Food choice: how to assess attitudes of pre‐adolescent children

Abstract

It is well known that the foundations for food choice are laid down in childhood. Poor dietary habits learned in childhood may persist into adult life. The dietary awareness of children is subject to a range of complex interacting forces, for example, peer group pressure, social factors and television advertising. Many investigators have developed innovative methodologies to record these parameters. Reviews, therefore, the methodological issues of studies which have attempted to elicit pre‐adolescent attitudes, knowledge and beliefs in food. Finally, makes recommendations about methodological issues that should be considered when studying pre‐adolescent children’s food choice.