Adolescence is an important developmental period marked by a transition from primarily parental-controlled eating to self-directed and peer-influenced eating. During this period, adolescents gain autonomy over their individual food choices and eating behavior in general. While parent-feeding practices have been shown to influence eating behaviors in children, little is known about how these relationships track across adolescent development as autonomy expands. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify factors that impact food decisions and eating autonomy among adolescents. Using the food choice process model as a guide, four focus groups were conducted with thirty-five adolescents. Focus group discussion was semi-structured, asking teens about influences on their food choices across different food environments, their involvement with food purchasing and preparation, and perceived control over food their choices. Focus group transcripts were analyzed using deductive and inductive code creation and thematic analysis. This study found six leading influences on adolescents’ food choices and identified additional factors with prominence within specific environmental contexts. This study distinguished a broader spectrum of factors influencing adolescent food choice that extend beyond ‘convenience’ and ‘taste’ which have previously been identified as significant contributors. The degree of control that teens reported differed by eating location, occasion, and social context. Finally, adolescents demonstrated various levels of engagement in behaviors related to their eating autonomy. Identifying the emergent themes related to adolescent autonomy was the first step toward the goal of developing a scale to evaluate adolescent eating autonomy.

中文翻译：

---

青少年食物选择和饮食自主性的生态视角

青春期是一个重要的发育时期，其特征是从主要由父母控制的饮食过渡到自我指导和同伴影响的饮食。在此期间，青少年通常会在选择食物和饮食习惯方面获得自主权。尽管已经证明父母的进餐方式会影响儿童的饮食行为，但是随着自主权的发展，这些关系如何跟踪青春期发育的情况鲜为人知。这项定性研究的目的是确定影响青少年饮食决策和饮食自主性的因素。以食物选择过程模型为指导，对35个青少年进行了四个焦点小组讨论。焦点小组讨论是半结构化的，向青少年询问不同食物环境对他们食物选择的影响，他们参与食品的购买和准备，并控制他们选择的食品。使用演绎和归纳代码创建以及主题分析来分析焦点小组的笔录。这项研究发现了六个对青少年食物选择的主要影响因素，并确定了在特定环境中突出的其他因素。这项研究区分了影响青少年食物选择的更多因素，这些因素已经超出了先前被认为是重要因素的“便利性”和“口味”。青少年报告的控制程度因进食地点，场合和社交环境而异。最后，青少年表现出与饮食自主有关的各种行为水平。