Family barriers and facilitators for healthy eating
habits among adolescents: abridged secondary publication
CLK Lam1, KSN Liu1, JY Chen1, KS Sun2, JPY Tsang1, P Ip3
1 Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
2 Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
3 Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Adolescents lack adequate knowledge of recommended quantities for specific food types, perceive low susceptibility to the harm from unhealthy eating, make unhealthy snacking and food choices in restaurants, and consume insufficient fruits and vegetables.
- Positive parental attitudes towards healthy eating, provision of healthy foods at home, and parental supervision facilitate healthy eating in adolescents.
- Family barriers to healthy eating habits include insufficient parental knowledge, time and cost concerns, and limited discussions about food within the family.
- Strategies to improve healthy eating habits include incorporating healthy ingredients into adolescents’ favourite recipes, providing a variety of fruits and vegetables at home, and involving adolescents in meal preparation.