How Much Do the Mothers' Perspectives Toward Television Advertising Influence the Frequency of the Conflict with Their Children Over Food Choices?

Background: TV advertising has often been considered as an important factor that influences children’s unhealthy food choices which could result in their obesity a bad sign of their health status.

Program background: However, one of the indirect but critical consequences from TV advertising, the conflict between parents and children over children’s food choices, has not been studied enough despite the frequency of the conflict in many families.

Evaluation Methods and Results: This exploratory study investigates the possible influences of the parents’ perspectives toward TV ads on the conflict by soliciting the opinions of mothers who have at least one child between ages 7 and 12.

Conclusions: The results reveal that mothers’ attitude toward the advertising aiming at children and mothers’ job status significantly influence the conflict with their children over the children’s food choices.

Implications for research and/or practice: In addition to the questions regarding the mothers’ perspectives toward ads, some other characteristics of the mothers are also examined in order to determine any possible relationships between the frequency of the conflict and the parental factors (e.g., mother’s job status, mother’s education, mother’s engagement in children’s daily lives, mother’s level of communication with their children).