%0 Journal Article
%T Television viewing, food preferences, and food habits among children: A prospective epidemiological study
%A Helle Hare-Bruun
%A Birgit M Nielsen
%A Peter L Kristensen
%A Niels C M£¿ller
%A Per Togo
%A Berit L Heitmann
%J BMC Public Health
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2458-11-311
%X Data are from the Danish part of European Youth Heart Study (EYHS) I and II, a prospective cohort study conducted among 8-10-year-old and 14-16-year-old Danes in 1997-98. Six years later 2003-04 the 8-10-year-olds were followed up at age 14-16 years, and a new group of 8-10-year olds were included. Data were analysed using mixed linear regression analysis. Cross-sectional analyses included 697 8-10-year-olds and 495 14-16-year-olds. Prospective analyses included 232 pupils with complete data at baseline and follow-up. Associations between TV viewing habits and the sum of healthy food preferences (¦²HFP), and the sum of healthy food habits (¦²HFH), respectively, were examined.Inverse cross-sectional associations between TV viewing (h/day) and both ¦²HFP and ¦²HFH were present for both the 8-10-year-old and the 14-16-year-old boys and girls. The frequency of meals in front of the TV (times/week) was also inversely associated with ¦²HFP among 8-10-year-old boys, and with ¦²HFH in all sex- and age groups. Among girls, baseline TV viewing (h/day) was directly associated with adverse development in the ¦²HFP during follow-up. The concomitant 6-year changes in ¦²HFH and TV viewing (h/day) were inversely associated in boys.Long time spent on TV viewing, and possibly to a lesser degree, frequent consumption of meals during TV viewing, seem to be associated with generally having unhealthy food preferences and food habits among school-aged children. These associations, however, were not generally persistent after 6 years of follow-up.The prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically since the early 1980s [1-3], and despite numerous attempts, effective strategies to counter this worldwide epidemic are still lacking.From birth we are genetically predisposed to a preference for the sweet and salty tastes, and an aversion against sour and bitter tastes. Food neophobia is also a genetic predisposition, but preference for novel foods can be learned and modified by repeated experience [4]
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/11/311