Crystal Smit

Chapter 1 14 Peers Norms and Dietary-Related Behaviors Drinking and eating are social activities and often take place in the presence of parents, siblings, and/or peers. There is ample evidence that the norms, values, and assumptions embedded in the social context exerts a strong influence on what, and how much individuals drink and eat (Higgs, 2015; Higgs & Ruddock, 2020; Salvy, de la Haye, Bowker, & Hermans, 2012). Especially in children, the social environment is an important factor in the initiation and maintenance of eating patterns (Patrick & Nicklas, 2005). Parents and peers are the primary social influences that contribute to the dietary-related behaviors of children (Williams, Holmbeck, & Greenley, 2002). Peers are especially important role models when children mature and spend most of their waking hours in the company of peers, for example at school (Rubin, Bukowski, & Parker, 2007). There is a large body of evidence to suggest that peers have a strong influence on children’s food intake and choices (Cruwys, Bevelander, & Hermans, 2015; Herman, 2015; Higgs & Ruddock, 2020; Salvy & Bowker, 2013; Salvy et al., 2012; Vartanian, 2015). One reason why other individuals have a powerful influence on children’s food intake and choice is the operation of social norms. Social norms in the context of food intake involve social cues about what constitutes appropriate consumption, whether it is the amount of food or specific food choices, for individuals in a social group (Higgs, 2015). Previous research has shown that dietary-related behaviors are associated with the perceived social norms within peer groups (Higgs, 2015; Robinson, Blissett, & Higgs, 2013; Robinson, Thomas, Aveyard, & Higgs, 2014; Stok, Vet, Ridder, & Wit, 2016). In the literature, a distinction is made between two types of social norms: descriptive and injunctive norms (Cialdini, Kallgren, & Reno, 1991; Reno, Cialdini, & Kallgren, 1993). Descriptive norms refer to the perceptions of how people actually behave in a social group (Cialdini et al., 1991). For example, a descriptive norm related to water drinking might be that children perceive that most of their peers drink more or less than the recommended amount of water. A mechanism that could explain how descriptive norms influence children’s healthy drinking behavior, is social modeling. This is the tendency of individuals