Mothers' Perceptions on Preschool Children's Food Preference, Efforts in Improving Food Intake and Their Beliefs in Food Selection

Jeong, Young Hye; Yoon, Jin Sook; Park, Dong Yean

Abstract

In an attempt to investigate mothers' perceptions of factors affecting preschool children's food preferences, their policy improving food intake and belief in food selection, in-depth interviews with 30 mothers who had preschool children were conducted in Daegu and Busan. The interviews were tape-recorded and the contents of interviews were analysed by researchers. Most mothers and children liked meats. It was found that children usually disliked vegetables such as onions, carrots, and green onions. Mothers perceived that many factors affected their children's food preferences: mothers' and fathers' food preferences, food offering at meals, mothers' food intake during pregnancy, children's food intake during weaning period, heredity, peer pressure, and advertisements on television. Mothers made efforts to improve childrens food intakes in many ways: change of cooking method, emphasizing function of nutrients and food for health, conciliation and enforcement, and comparison to other children. The most affecting belief for mothers in food selection was family members' food preference. Health, balance in nutrient intake, degree of food processes, food additives, chemicals, convenience, diversity, and economy were also important beliefs to select food. Convenience was especially the primary belief in choosing and preparing children's snacks. Mothers offered frozen dumplings and meat, instant noodles, tuna, and ham for snacks for convenience. These results showed that mothers understood many aspects affecting children's food preference, tried to improve children's food intakes, and had several beliefs in food selection. We concluded that it is necessary to give information for mothers to make healthy snacks in a short time and chance to learn cooking skills.