PD900 - THE IMPACT OF MATERNAL DIETARY INFORMATION LEVELS ON ADOLESCENT EATING BEHAVIORS

PD900

THE IMPACT OF MATERNAL DIETARY INFORMATION LEVELS ON ADOLESCENT EATING BEHAVIORS

N. Kaya^1,*, E. Başmısırlı¹, A. Beşparmak¹

¹Nuh Naci Yazgan University, Kayseri, Türkiye

Rationale: Family cultural values, parental attitudes, and exposure to nutrition information may influence children’s eating behaviors. This study aims to examine the role of maternal nutritional knowledge in the development of binge eating disorder among adolescents.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included a total of 726 mother-adolescent pairs with adolescents aged 14–18. Data was collected via an online survey. The questionnaire included sociodemographic data of mothers and adolescents, the Diet Information Overload (DIO) scale for mothers, and the Binge Eating Disorder Scale (BEDS) for adolescents.

Results: The median BED score for adolescents was 15 (8–19), while the median DIO score for mothers was 24 (20–28). A statistically significant, weak positive correlation was found between DIO scores and BEDS scores (r=0.187; p<0.001). Similarly, a weak statistically significant positive correlation was found between BMI and BEDS scores (r=0.285; p<0.001). Adolescents with poor sleep quality had higher BEDS scores (p<0.001). The DIO scores were higher among mothers with perceived insufficient income (p=0.001). It was determined that DIO scores were significantly higher among mothers who reported obtaining nutrition information primarily from social media [26 (22–29)] compared to those who obtained information from a doctor [22.5 (18–26)] or a dietitian [24 (19–27)] (p<0.001; p=0.002, respectively). BEDS scores were significantly higher in adolescents whose mothers obtained nutrition information from social media compared to doctors (p=0.031).

Conclusion: Mothers’ nutritional information load was found to be associated with binge eating behaviors in adolescents. Mothers obtaining nutrition information from social media was associated with higher information load and more negative eating behaviors in adolescents. These findings highlight the importance of directing parents toward reliable sources of nutritional information.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared