Participation of parents in a nutritional education program in schools and development of eating behaviours of children

To describe the various dimensions of parental involvement in the interventions initiated in schools and to identify the relationship between each of these dimensions and the development of children's food choices following their exposure to a nutrition-education project implemented in eight primary schools in underprivileged neighbourhoods in Montréal - the Junior Cooks - Parents Network project (Petits cuistots - Parents en réseaux (PC-PR)). This descriptive research was conducted thanks to a secondary analysis of data from a sample of 502 parents of children attending schools that participated in the PC-PR project. Parental participation is described in four aspects, making reference to the idea of a mesosystem, suggested by Bronfenbrenner (1979). Children's eating-related behaviour, as reported by the parents, included: talking about workshops, asking to buy certain foods, reading labels on product wrapping and helping to prepare the meal. Bivariate and multivariate descriptive analyses were performed. The data gathered from the parents show a positive association between in-home parental involvement and overall food behaviour in the students. However, there is no association between parental involvement at school and any of the behaviours. This research suggests the importance of parental participation in nutrition education interventions in schools. The results contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field and serve as impetus for reflection on how to better direct health promotion interventions.