The influence of children on parental food purchases during supermarket shopping in Pretoria, South Africa: The perspectives of parents
1
Division of Human Nutrition, Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1512
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Children have a major influence on purchasing decisions by using pester power to request certain food items from their parents. This study aimed to determine parents’ perspectives of the self-reported influence their children have on their food-purchasing behaviour during grocery shopping.
METHODS:
A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. Parents of children between three to twelve years of age doing grocery shopping at selected supermarkets in Pretoria (N=400) were recruited using convenience sampling. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect data.
RESULTS:
More than half (55%, n=221) of parents indicated that their children influenced their grocery shopping decisions. The majority of children used verbal requests (70.1%, n=281) and pointing (46.1%, n=185) to exert influence over their parent’s purchases. They mostly influenced chocolate (69.6%, n=279), sweets (63.3%, n=274), ice cream (67.8%, n=272), potato chips (46.1%, n=185) and yoghurt (46.1%, n=185) purchases. More than one third of participants (38.5%, n=154) always wrote a grocery list before going shopping; however, they hardly stuck to these because of being tempted by special offers. More than one third (37.4%, n=150) of participants felt the store layout sometimes affected their shopping, while 32.3% (n=129) felt that the store layout did not affect their shopping. Some parents reported that their children (44.4%, n=178) always asked for food at the checkout lane, while others (44.1%, n=165) sometimes asked for food at the checkout lane. The majority of parents (61.5%, n=246) sometimes bought food items at the checkout lane.
CONCLUSIONS:
Children often use pester power to influence their parents’ purchasing decisions regarding food. To address this, parents should be empowered and supported to make healthier food choices during grocery shopping. In addition, regulation of food marketing to children is essential to mitigate the adverse effects of television advertising, food packaging, and in-store product placement.
Children have a major influence on purchasing decisions by using pester power to request certain food items from their parents. This study aimed to determine parents’ perspectives of the self-reported influence their children have on their food-purchasing behaviour during grocery shopping.
METHODS:
A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. Parents of children between three to twelve years of age doing grocery shopping at selected supermarkets in Pretoria (N=400) were recruited using convenience sampling. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect data.
RESULTS:
More than half (55%, n=221) of parents indicated that their children influenced their grocery shopping decisions. The majority of children used verbal requests (70.1%, n=281) and pointing (46.1%, n=185) to exert influence over their parent’s purchases. They mostly influenced chocolate (69.6%, n=279), sweets (63.3%, n=274), ice cream (67.8%, n=272), potato chips (46.1%, n=185) and yoghurt (46.1%, n=185) purchases. More than one third of participants (38.5%, n=154) always wrote a grocery list before going shopping; however, they hardly stuck to these because of being tempted by special offers. More than one third (37.4%, n=150) of participants felt the store layout sometimes affected their shopping, while 32.3% (n=129) felt that the store layout did not affect their shopping. Some parents reported that their children (44.4%, n=178) always asked for food at the checkout lane, while others (44.1%, n=165) sometimes asked for food at the checkout lane. The majority of parents (61.5%, n=246) sometimes bought food items at the checkout lane.
CONCLUSIONS:
Children often use pester power to influence their parents’ purchasing decisions regarding food. To address this, parents should be empowered and supported to make healthier food choices during grocery shopping. In addition, regulation of food marketing to children is essential to mitigate the adverse effects of television advertising, food packaging, and in-store product placement.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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