Thesis Title: Peer Normative Beliefs and Food Preferences of Adolescents
Author: Khadeeja Javed
Supervisor: Fatima Kamran
Year: 2017
Degree: M.Sc.
University: Institute of Applied Psychology, Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan
Corresponding Address: Department of Applied Psychology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. Email: chairperson@appsy.pu.edu.pk, Phone: 92-42-9231245
Abstract
The foods we choose to eat have a significant impact on health and well-being (Swinburn et al., 2011) and so it is important to understand the factors that influence food choice. So, the present correlational study was aimed to investigate the role of peer normative beliefs in food preferences of adolescents. The sample comprised of 146 academy students of Hasilpur, District Bahawalpur. Simple random sampling was employed to collect data. Peer normative beliefs and food preferences of adolescents were measured using the following scales: Normative Beliefs Questionnaire (Mechelle Granner, 2012) and Adolescents’ Food Habits Checklist (Wardle, 2002). Pearson Product Moment Correlation Analysis and Hierarchal Multiple Regression Analysis were used. Results revealed that peer normative beliefs predicted healthy food preferences of adolescents. Among the socio demographic factors, the findings of study showed that adolescents who belonged to nuclear family system and had siblings had healthy food preferences as compared to the ones being the only child and belonging to joint family system. The finding of the study raise implications in nutrition education aimed at stimulating healthy eating and to also focus on contextual factors as well, such as the peer normative beliefs.
Keywords: Peer normative beliefs, food preferences.
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