Do mothers affect daughter's behaviors? Diet, physical activity, and sedentary behaviors in Kuwaiti mother-daughter dyads

Ecol Food Nutr. 2018 Mar-Apr;57(2):109-123. doi: 10.1080/03670244.2017.1418337. Epub 2017 Dec 26.

Abstract

The objective of the study was to evaluate 169 Kuwaiti mother-daughter dyads and their associations with health behaviors for eating healthy, engaging in physical activity, daughters perceived body weight, time spent with computer/video, and time viewing television. Female students aged 10-14 years were selected from private and public schools in the State of Kuwait. Results demonstrated that daughters exhibited similar behaviors to their mothers in their perceived eating behavior, physical activity, computer/video game use, and TV screen time. Future research is essential to determine the role of mothers in effective health behavior intervention strategies for female Kuwaiti adolescents.

Keywords: Childhood obesity; Kuwait; diet; mother–daughter dyads; physical activity.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Body Weight
  • Child
  • Computers
  • Diet*
  • Exercise*
  • Feeding Behavior*
  • Female
  • Health Behavior*
  • Humans
  • Kuwait
  • Mothers*
  • Nuclear Family
  • Pediatric Obesity / etiology
  • Pediatric Obesity / prevention & control*
  • Schools
  • Sedentary Behavior*
  • Students
  • Television