Food consumer behavior, lifestyle and health condition of families and their children attending primary school in Milan

The lack of a consumers segmentation instrument based on dietary habits, and shareable at an international level, is symptomatic of weakness, since it suggests the need for a greater commitment in the definition of a reliable and effective continuous monitoring system (Counihan and Van Esterik, 2008; Russo, 2009). Having the target to monitor about 23,000 Milanese families eating styles, the research focused on the connection between the parents' and children's eating habits, also trying to evaluate the consequences of daily habits and lifestyles on the consuming behaviour. Among the variables taken into consideration, there are: sedentariness degree, frequency and duration of the time spent watching TV, influence of nutrition education plans analogous to those offered by school, influence of the peers, ethnic and cultural distinctions.