Introduction
Campbell, Crawford, Salmon, Carver, Garnett and Baur (2007) conducted a study to determine the associations between the home food environment and obesity. They wanted to examine the relationship between the various aspects of the environment at home that increased risks of obesity. The authors were aware of the alarming rate of increase in the number of adolescents who are either obese or overweight (Lobstein, Baur, & Uauy, 2004). This is mainly due to the fact that this stage of development is the most vulnerable and at high risk of obesity. The risks are high since it is at this stage that adolescents indulge in obesity-related morbidity.
One of the catalysts of obesity is diet. The quality of the diet usually declines as one enters the adolescence stage. The adolescents usually adopt diets that promote fatness. Their consumption of soft drinks and fast foods increase tremendously. On the other hand, they reduce the consumption of healthy foods such as milk, fruits and vegetables.
The authors consulted related literature and discovered that there are various factors that contribute to the change in the eating habits in adolescents (Vauthier, Lluch, Lecomte, Artur, & Herbeth, 1996). Examples include parental influence and television viewing. In order to understand more on the subject, the authors conducted a research study. The main objective of the study was to determine the relationship between the home food environment and the various eating habits that increase the risks of obesity.
The study involved the use of interviews and questionnaires. Both the parents and the adolescents were involved in the study. The authors studied various aspects concerning the eating habits of adolescents and some of the factors that may contribute to those habits. After analysis, they found that the main care provided in the home was the mother but maternal education was substantially low. The results also showed that the boys consumed significantly larger quantities of fast foods than the girls did.
In the assessment of the environment at which the boys took their food, the mothers reported that those who did not have the opportunity to spend sufficient time with their parents were not likely to take the high-energy drinks. However, those parents who practiced authoritarian parenting style reported that their boys were more likely to consumed high-energy drinks. This was also the case in cases where the mothers consumed such drinks. The girls were also high899ly likely to consume such drinks if their mothers did too. The case was the same when it came to the consumption of sweet snacks. The authors also concluded that the availability of such foods at home was strongly correlated to their consumption. The results also showed that the parents believed that fruits and vegetables were expensive and this impacted on purchase and consequently, their availability. This study also supported previous research that concluded that television viewing was also a great factor in influencing the eating behaviour (that caused obesity) in adolescents.
Evaluation of research methods
The authors provided a literature review. They consulted several literature related to the subject in order to have an understanding of what had been done concerning the issue of obesity in adolescents. They also wanted to find out some of the factors that have been suggested to cause obesity in adolescents. They found out that parental influences had been earlier suggested to be a common cause. They also researched on the influences of certain factors on the consumption of certain foods, including both healthy and unhealthy foods. From the literature, they also gathered that television viewing and other forms of entertainment was a contributing factor when it came to the consumption of fast foods and other unhealthy diets. They found out that certain factors affecting eating habits in adolescent were stratified by sex.
The study is very current and is relevant to today’s health issues since obesity is very common in adolescents today. May adolescents are increasingly becoming overweight and obese. This is due to their vulnerability to bad eating habits. The availability of cheap unhealthy foods today is also a contributing factor. This explains the changes in eating habits and the increase in the cases of obesity. This study addresses some of the factors that contribute to the consumption patterns of these unhealthy foods and may assist in addressing some of these issues in order to reduce cases of obesity.
The research conducted was a cross-sectional study and the data was collected through self-completed surveys. The sample size used for the study was 347 adolescents. Responses from at least one of the parents of each adolescent were also collected. Therefore, 347 parents were involved in the study. Of the total number of the adolescents, 175 were girls while 172 were boys. They were all adolescents of ages between 12 and 13. The parents, on the other hand, were of ages between 35.6 and 43.8. Most (82%) of the parents were born in Australia. Three hundred and forty five of all the adolescent participants were part of a birth cohort that participated in the Nepean study. This sample was appropriate for the study since they were individuals who had been selected appropriately for a previous study.
This work is very practical since it is applicable in today’s society. From the results obtained, the authors suggest that the mothers are the greatest influencers when it comes to eating habits in the adolescents. Therefore, it is up to them to influence good eating habits in adolescents and help prevent obesity. I also believe that the result from the study provide important information for use as preventative measures in the future. Mothers should understand how influential their eating habits and choices are to the adolescents’ eating habits and health.
The research conducted by Campell and his colleagues was well done but few things could have been considered in order to improve it. For example, they should have considered the cause and effect of the factors they were studying. For example, it may not be correct to assume that the mothers’ eating habits influenced those of their children. It is possible that the children’s habits influenced those of their mothers.
The writing in the article was clear and straightforward. The language used was quite simple and self-explanatory. This ensured that the paper was easily understandable. The data was represented in tables and this made it easy to understand. The variables were clearly indicated and this made the interpretation of the results easy. The results were also discussed in detail and this supported every argument made by the authors. The description of how the research was conducted was straightforward and this enables the reader understand the authenticity and applicability of the study.
Due to the various limitations of the study, further research should be conducted on the subject. The authors acknowledged the fact that some of their measures had low reliability. Furthermore, the study was cross-sectional. Therefore, no causality could be concluded. It is possible that some of the relationships described could be the reverse. For example, it is possible that the eating habits of the adolescents influenced those of their mothers. It is also a possibility that eating habits of the adolescents predicted the availability of such foods at home and not the other way round. Therefore, it is important for further research to be done in order to establish the actual cause and effect.
During the study, the authors also considered the education levels of the children’s mothers. Since half of the mothers appeared to have low levels of education, the results obtained might not necessarily be applicable to families with mothers who have attained a high levels of education. Therefore, further study is required in this regard.
Conclusion
This study was set to examine the relationship between the various aspects at home and the factors that led to increased cases of obesity in adolescents. The authors concluded that the mothers’ feeding habits influenced the children’s feeding habits that increased risks of obesity. This study was practical since there is an increasing in the proportions of adolescents that are obese today. The foods that they are exposed to may be a contributing factor since young children (about 12 years) may not have the ability to make good choices of what foods to take. Therefore, parents should make proper decisions while purchasing foodstuffs in the house in order to prevent occurrence of obesity.
References
Campbell, K., Crawford, D., Salmon, J., Carver, A., Garnett, S., & Baur, L. (2007). Associations between the home food environment and obesity-promoting eating behaviours in adolescence. Obesity, 15(3), 719-730.
Lobstein, T., Baur, L., & Uauy, R. (2004). Obesity in children and young people: A crisis in public health. Obes Rev., 5(1), 4-104.
Vauthier, J., Lluch, A., Lecomte, E., Artur, Y., & Herbeth, B. (1996). Family resemblance in energy and macronutrient intakes: The Stanislas family study. Int J Epidemiol, 25(1), 1030-1037.