Association of eating behavior and family factor of upper grades elementary school students

Background & Object: A poor diet can contribute to a range of illnesses, including obesity and cardiovascular disease, hypertension among school-age children in Japan. So, Ministry of education established Basic act food education which proposed the way to improved diet of child. School enforces to do health education about healthy diet for students. However, formulating children's eating habitants are influenced by socio-environmental and psychological factor such as family consideration. So, this study to assess the relationship between school–age children eating behavior and the family factor to develop more comprehensive approach for school health. Method: The conceptual framework of this study was based on PRECEDE and PROCEED Model. Independent variable ware set that family environment as reinforcing factor, family self-esteem as predisposing factor, social skills as enabling factor, and a dependent variable was eating behavior measurement. The study was conducted among 295 the sixth grade students and 192 the fifth grad students, and total of 487 students in elementary school in a city nearby Tsu, Mie, Japan, in 2010. Self –administered questionnaires obtains approval in Mie University IRB. The analysis did paired T-test, the chi-square test, and the multiple regressions. Result & Recommendation: Father's presence was significantly related to eating behavior score.(t=2.289) in the family environment. And high family esteem of children was significantly related to higher eating behavior score (t=5.925). It is clearly that family factor associated with self-management capacity in upper school age. Especially the father's existence was important both sociological and physiological factor on improving eating behavior.