The socioeconomic status and family context of eating attitudes and dietary behaviours of children in Polish primary schools

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to assess the correlation between the results of the Polish version of Maloney's ChEAT-26, the socio-economical status of pre-pubertal pupils from Krakow schools and their family situation. The study group comprised 218 pupils that attended Grades from 4 to 6 and their mothers. The children's ChEAT-26 results were related to family structure, emigration, parental education, the mother's state of health and her subjective judgement of her state of health and her family circumstances, employment status and financial circumstances. Disordered eating attitudes of the children were elevated in families where one of the parents had emigrated. Parents with higher education levels tend to have a stronger influence on their child's eating habits. The children of such parents are more aware of dietary standards, they tend to control their eating habits more but they also get less pleasure out of eating food. Having the mother achieve professional success, in her estimation, turned out to be positively correlated with an increased desire in her child to lose weight. A mother's positive assessment of her family was correlated with her child's greater compliance with the principles of healthy eating. Some of the observed correlations were different in the boys' group and in the girls' group. Any discussion concerning the relationship of the obtained results with a change in the social circumstance, although likely, is only hypothetical. Study has provided evidence of a connection between socioeconomic status, family variables and eating attitudes in young children in modern Poland.