An Investigation of the Factors that Influence Maternal Encouragement of Healthy Diets for their Preadolescent Daughters

Abstract

Childhood overweight has reached epidemic levels in the United States. Twenty percent of U.S. children are overweight or obese. This problem is likely to carry into adulthood with increased risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular problems. It has also been demonstrated that diets of preadolescent girls are strongly influenced by their mothers in terms of communication, modeling, and regulation. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior as a framework, the factors that influence mothers to communicate encouragement of a healthy diet for their preadolescent daughters were studied in an effort to reduce female child overweight and subsequent negative consequences. A websurvey (N = 104) with mothers with at least one preadolescent daughter was conducted. Attitude toward encouraging their daughters to eat healthily, the most likely subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control all significantly influenced intention to communicate encouragement to daughters to eat healthily. Implications of these findings are discussed.

A Study of Conflict Issues Affecting Ugandan Housemaids who Migrate to Saudi Arabia and How to Mitigate them

March 10, 2026

This study aims to comprehensively analyse the complex interplay between