Intergenerational transmission of dietary habits among Italian children and adolescents

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between parental dietary habits and child and adolescent diet quality in Italy by adopting a parent-child perspective. We apply quantile regression modelling to an original database developed within the DEDIPAC knowledge hub, integrating multiple sources of information on the aspects of Italian households’ daily lives, food consumption frequency, and calorie intake. Given the relevance of maternal care in shaping children’s eating patterns, we focus on mothers’ lifestyles and time-use. Results show that the intergenerational transmission of diet quality is a gendered process, especially involving mothers and their daughters. Our findings also highlight the pivotal role schools play in the fight against child malnutrition and indicate that, contrary to what is found in the international research literature, maternal employment is not correlated with a deterioration in their children’s diet quality.