BackgroundUnderstanding the correlates of dietary intake is necessary in order to effectively promote healthy dietary behavior among children and adolescents. A literature review was conducted on the correlates of the following categories of dietary intake in children and adolescents: Fruit, Juice and Vegetable Consumption, Fat in Diet, Total Energy Intake, Sugar Snacking, Sweetened Beverage Consumption, Dietary Fiber, Other Healthy Dietary Consumption, and Other Less Healthy Dietary Consumption in children and adolescents.MethodsCross-sectional and prospective studies were identified from PubMed, PsycINFO and PsycArticles by using a combination of search terms. Quantitative research examining determinants of dietary intake among children and adolescents aged 3–18 years were included. The selection and review process yielded information on country, study design, population, instrument used for measuring intake, and quality of research study.ResultsSeventy-seven articles were included. Many potential correlates have been studied among children and adolescents. However, for many hypothesized correlates substantial evidence is lacking due to a dearth of research. The correlates best supported by the literature are: perceived modeling, dietary intentions, norms, liking and preferences. Perceived modeling and dietary intentions have the most consistent and positive associations with eating behavior. Norms, liking, and preferences were also consistently and positively related to eating behavior in children and adolescents. Availability, knowledge, outcome expectations, self-efficacy and social support did not show consistent relationships across dietary outcomes.ConclusionThis review examined the correlates of various dietary intake; Fruit, Juice and Vegetable Consumption, Fat in Diet, Total Energy Intake, Sugar Snacking, Sweetened Beverage Consumption, Dietary Fiber, Other Healthy Dietary Consumption, and Other Less Healthy Dietary Consumption in cross-sectional and prospective studies for children and adolescents. The correlates most consistently supported by evidence were perceived modeling, dietary intentions, norms, liking and preferences. More prospective studies on the psychosocial determinants of eating behavior using broader theoretical perspectives should be examined in future research.

Emotional eating is conceptualized as eating in response to negative affect. Data from a larger study of physical activity was employed to examine the associations among specific emotions/ moods and emotional eating in an adolescent sample. Six-hundred and sixty-six students of diverse backgrounds from 7 middle schools in Los Angeles County participated. Cross-sectional analysis revealed no gender differences in emotional eating, and showed that perceived stress and worries were associated with emotional eating in the total sample. Gender stratified analyses revealed significant associations of perceived stress, worries and tension/anxiety to emotional eating for girls, while only confused mood was related to emotional eating in boys. These findings bear potential implications for the treatment and prevention of pediatric obesity and eating disorders because they suggest that interventions would benefit from incorporation of stressreduction techniques and promotion of positive mood.

Emotional eating has often been linked to overweight and/or obesity. Multiple group SEM analyses were conducted using cross-sectional data from 517 minority students in Los Angeles County. Results showed no differences in emotional eating between normal weight and overweight students. Perceived stress was indeed a significant correlate of emotional eating, independent of BMI status, as indicated by the lack of a modifying effect of BMI status. Findings highlight the fact that emotional eating is not an issue only for overweight and obese persons. This study shows that some children in this population at increased risk for obesity and related chronic disease have already incorporated emotional eating as a learned response to stress by the time that they enter adolescence.

The present study investigated the role of coping in the relationship between perceived stress and night‐eating syndrome (NES) in college students. Participants were 95 undergraduates 18 to 29 years of age, and predominantly female and white or Caucasian. Anonymous paper‐and‐pencil surveys were completed on campus to measure NES, coping styles and level of perceived stress. Significant associations were found between perceived stress and NES (β = 0.259, p < 0.05), perceived stress and maladaptive coping (β = 0.575, p < 0.001) and maladaptive coping and NES (β = 0.252, p < 0.05). Mediation analyses indicate that experiencing higher levels of stress may lead to night‐eating behaviours because of use of maladaptive coping strategies. Furthermore, tests of moderation suggest that individuals who experienced stress and engaged in less adaptive coping were more likely to exhibit night‐eating behaviours (versus those who engaged in more adaptive coping). Of note is the differential impact of adaptive versus maladaptive coping in this association. Current findings provide some insights into possible mechanisms to weight gain in college students. Further, this information may be useful in guiding the development of interventions aimed at improving the psychosocial and behavioural health of college students. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Background:A profound decline in physical activity occurs in puberty. This phenomenon is not well understood. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine associations between family/friend social support for physical activity, negative meanings of physical activity (NMPA), and internal /external barriers to physical activity with moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and sedentary and light behavior (SLB) in youth.Methods:A total of 350 participants from 7 Los Angeles County middle schools participated in the study (62% Latina, 79% females). Hypothesized pathways were examined using structural equation modeling. Psychosocial variables and participation in MVPA and SLB were assessed by self-reported questionnaires.Results:NMPA were related to lower levels of family/friend social support and greater internal/external barriers. Family social support was the only significant indicator of MVPA (β = 0.79). Low family social support was related to higher SLB (β = −0.25).Conclusions:Family social support seems crucial to promote MVPA and reduce SLB in adolescents and might be influenced by child’s feelings about physical activity. Future research should consider the interrelationship between psychosocial correlates of physical activity.