nutrients-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Family Diet and Eating Habits as Factors Influencing Child Health and Development

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 March 2025) | Viewed by 2163

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Food Science and Biotechnology, University of Life Sciences, Akademicka 15, 20-950 Lublin, Poland
Interests: dietary patterns; complementary feeding; nutrition of infants, children, and adoles-cents; relationship between nutrition and healthy development of children or quality of life; nutrition knowledge
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Family diet and eating habits are factors that influence child health and development. Parental factors and the level of parental nutritional knowledge are important both for the duration of breastfeeding, the timing of diet expansion, and the composition of the diet of older children. Parental non-compliance with feeding recommendations can result in the development of feeding disorders, nutritional deficiencies, or excessive weight in the child. It is important that knowledge is put into practice and allows health-promoting feeding behaviour to be perpetuated in the family. Both very early and very late expansion of the infant's diet and irregularities in reading the signals indicating the child's hunger or satiety lead to feeding errors and feeding difficulties and can have a negative impact on the child's physical and psycho-emotional development. Mistakes made by parents can contribute to the child's reluctance to explore new foods, the consumption of excessive amounts of energy, a mismatch between the composition of the diet and the maturity of the child's digestive system, and a higher incidence of allergic reactions to foods. In the case of older children, it is not only the quantity of meals that is important but also their composition, the consumption of the first breakfast, and the matching of portion sizes to the child's needs. It is important to compose meals correctly to continue correct behaviours to prevent the development of diet-dependent diseases in both childhood and adulthood. Nutritional deficiencies can lead not only to growth disorders but also to the development of feeding disorders, which, perpetuated in childhood, are risk factors for the development of many diseases of civilisation, eating disorders, or emotional disorders in later life. Therefore, the family's eating habits and diet are key factors in the child's physical, mental, and health development.

Dr. Małgorzata Kostecka
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • family diet
  • eating habits
  • child health
  • nutritional knowledge

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

20 pages, 409 KiB  
Article
Understanding Barriers to Health Behaviours in 13–17-Year-Olds: A Whole Systems Approach in the Context of Obesity
by Helen Lambert, Barbara Engel, Kathryn Hart, Jane Ogden and Katy Penfold
Nutrients 2025, 17(8), 1312; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17081312 - 10 Apr 2025
Viewed by 592
Abstract
Background/Objectives: This study examined factors influencing health behaviours among 13–17-year-olds in Surrey, focusing on rising obesity rates and socioeconomic disparities using a whole systems approach to capture both the stakeholders’ voice and the young people’s voices. Methods: The research involved two components: a [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: This study examined factors influencing health behaviours among 13–17-year-olds in Surrey, focusing on rising obesity rates and socioeconomic disparities using a whole systems approach to capture both the stakeholders’ voice and the young people’s voices. Methods: The research involved two components: a survey of youth service providers (e.g., teachers, youth workers; n = 35) and focus groups with adolescents (n = 27). Results: The survey revealed challenges faced by stakeholders, including insufficient training, environmental factors (e.g., schools, social media, food systems), and limited support from parents and healthcare professionals. The focus groups identified two key themes: (1) domains of care, for example diet and how availability and cost of food affects food choices, and (2) barriers and solutions, addressing financial, structural, and emotional obstacles to and facilitators of a healthy lifestyle. Transcending these themes was the key role of health inequalities linked to income, geography, and gender. Conclusions: This study underscores the complexity of adolescent health behaviours and calls for a multi-level, coordinated approach to address inequalities and foster supportive environments for healthier choices. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 623 KiB  
Article
Media Influence on the Perceived Safety of Dietary Supplements for Children: A Content Analysis of Spanish News Outlets
by Rosa Melero-Bolaños, Belén Gutiérrez-Villar, Maria Jose Montero-Simo, Rafael A. Araque-Padilla and Cristian M. Olarte-Sánchez
Nutrients 2025, 17(6), 951; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17060951 - 8 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1089
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The influence of media on the public opinion, especially regarding health topics, is profound. This study investigates how Spanish media may reinforce a positive image of dietary supplements for children, potentially leading to harmful health attitudes and behaviors. Methods: The researchers conducted [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The influence of media on the public opinion, especially regarding health topics, is profound. This study investigates how Spanish media may reinforce a positive image of dietary supplements for children, potentially leading to harmful health attitudes and behaviors. Methods: The researchers conducted a quantitative content analysis of 912 news articles from Spanish media outlets discussing dietary supplements for children between 2015 and 2021. They used a frequency analysis and a proportion comparison to analyze variables such as the reach of news, tone of news, mentions of health professional consultation, association with natural products, media specialization, intertextuality, and headline mentions. Results: The study found a 60% increase in publications discussing dietary supplements for children during the study period. The content analysis indicates that these articles predominantly present dietary supplements in a positive light, often without robust scientific evidence. Furthermore, many do not emphasize the need for medical consultation, which may contribute to unsupervised consumption, particularly among minors. This highlights the critical importance of professional guidance when considering dietary supplements for children. Additionally, the frequent emphasis on the “natural” attributes of these products raises concerns regarding consumer perceptions and potential safety risks. Conclusions: The study reveals a problem regarding the portrayal of dietary supplements for children in Spanish media. The overly optimistic image, lack of scientific basis, and failure to recommend medical supervision may contribute to unsupervised consumption among minors, risking their health due to misinformed decisions influenced by media portrayal. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop