Caregivers’ Reactions to Healthful Items and Nutrition Information on Children’s Menus

The objectives of this study are to examine whether caregivers’ dining behaviors with their children differ based on socioeconomic and demographic factors and children’s characteristics and to investigate whether the availability of healthful children’s menus and nutrition information influences their food selections for children. Caregivers’ dining behaviors were influenced by children’s age, gender, and number of children in a household. Caregivers chose lower calorie items when healthful items are available. The presence of nutrition information did not affect food selections. There may be a need to empower caregivers through interventions aimed at promoting healthful children’s food at restaurants.