Family Structure, Nonresident Father Involvement, and Adolescent Eating Patterns

Abstract Purpose To examine the relationship between family structure, nonresident father involvement, and adolescent eating patterns. Methods Analyses were performed on data from Waves 1 and 2 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Wave 1, N = ∼15,550; Wave 2, N = ∼11,540), and a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of adolescent health 2009-08, Vol.45 (2), p.193-201
Main Authors: Stewart, Susan D., Ph.D, Menning, Chadwick L., Ph.D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Absent fathers
Adolescence
Adolescent
Adolescents
Adoptive Parents
Air. Soil. Water. Waste. Feeding
Biological and medical sciences
Breakfast
Child
Children
Eating
Eating patterns
Environment. Living conditions
Family Characteristics
Family Roles
Family Structure
Father involvement
Father-Child Relations
Fathers
Feeding Behavior
Feeding Practices
Female
Food consumption
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Illness and personality
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Medical sciences
Multivariate Analysis
Nonresident fathers
Nontraditional families
Nutrition
Pediatrics
Personality, behavior and health
Psychology and medicine
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Sociodemographic Characteristics
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States
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Summary:Abstract Purpose To examine the relationship between family structure, nonresident father involvement, and adolescent eating patterns. Methods Analyses were performed on data from Waves 1 and 2 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Wave 1, N = ∼15,550; Wave 2, N = ∼11,540), and a subsample of adolescents from each wave who had a nonresident father (Wave 1, N = ∼3,745; Wave 2, N = 2,358). Multivariate regression provides estimates of the independent effects of family structure and nonresident father involvement on adolescent eating patterns while controlling for potentially confounding sociodemographic characteristics. Results Compared with children in traditional households (i.e., two biological or adoptive parents), adolescents in nontraditional family households (single parent, step-parent, no parent) were more likely to display unhealthy eating habits such as skipping breakfast and lunch, eating fewer vegetables, consuming more fast food, and had less parental monitoring of meals. Nonresident father involvement was associated with an increased frequency of eating breakfast and lunch and increased consumption of vegetables (Wave 1) but did not affect adolescents’ consumption of fast food. Child support was positively associated with the odds that adolescents would consume dinner. Conclusions Adolescents in living in nontraditional families were more likely than adolescents living with two biological/adoptive parents to display unhealthy eating habits. Nonresident father involvement was generally associated with healthier eating patterns. Health professionals should keep in mind that children's and adolescents’ living arrangements can be complex and have the potential to affect what and how they eat.
ISSN:1054-139X
1879-1972
DOI:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.01.005