Parental food choices for children when eating out: attitudes and impact of healthy choice menu labelling based on a hypothetical scenario

AbstractObjective:To understand how healthy menu labelling information is used by parents/caregivers and where it fits within predictors of healthy meal choices when eating out.Design:Parents were recruited to complete a 15-min observational, online survey regarding their experiences and hypothetical choices when eating out with their child/ren.Setting:Australia.Participants:Eligible participants had one or more child/ren aged between 2 and 12 years and attended cafes, restaurants, hotels and clubs (CRHC) for lunch or dinner at least four times a year. Of initial respondents (n 1802), 92·5 % provided complete and valid data. Participants were 84·7 % female, ranging from 18 to 68 years old.Results:98·3 % believed that healthier alternatives should be available for children in CRHC. For general food choices, health was a strong motivator (45·7 %); however, parents reported eating at CRHC mainly for pleasure or a treat (61·2 %) and being driven by children’s taste preferences (85·9 %) when selecting menu items. 59·0 % of orders included a combination of healthy and traditional items. 42·0 % of the sample were influenced by the healthy choice (HC) labelling. Multiple regression revealed that, in addition to some demographic variables, the percent of HC ordered was positively associated with self-reported parent vegetable consumption, making food choices for the children for health reasons, familiarity with HC items and making order choices due to dietary needs and good nutrition.Conclusions:Despite a preference for availability of healthier children’s menu choices in CRHC, menu labelling highlighting healthy options may have limited impact relative to child preferences.