Family- and school-based predictors of energy balance-related behaviours in children: a 6-year longitudinal study

Objective: To examine family- and school-based predictors of breakfast consumption, soft drink consumption and physical activity (PA) and moderating effects of gender and socio-economic status (SES). Design: Longitudinal study (6-year follow-up), including a questionnaire about dietary and activity behaviour. Setting: Fifty-nine Flemish elementary schools. Subjects: Seven hundred and twenty-seven children (51.9% girls, 51.9% high SES, mean age 9.9 (SD 0.4) years at baseline). Results: Having breakfast together with parents (P < 0.001) at age 10 years related to more days of eating breakfast at age 16 years. More parental soft drink consumption (P=0.04), less soft drink availability at home (P < 0.001) and less parental permissiveness (children received soft drinks from their parents whenever they asked for it and children could take soft drinks whenever they wanted; P=0.02 and P=0.001, respectively) at age 10 years related to less soft drink consumption at age 16 years. A more positive parental attitude towards PA (P=0.009), more parental encouragement (P=0.002) and a higher rating of PA's benefit 'relaxing' (P < 0.001) at age 10 years related to more PA at age 16 years. Gender and SES did not significantly moderate any of the associations. Conclusions: Only parental factors at age 10 years were associated with breakfast consumption, soft drink consumption and PA at age 16 years. An intervention programme at age 10 years with a strong focus on the modifiable parental factors might lead to healthy behaviour in the long term.