At present, the process of parental modelling of eating behaviours and attitudes has received limited research interest. While often mentioned as a possible factor in relation to child feeding and the development of eating behaviours, only a few studies have explicitly researched parental modelling. The main aims of this thesis were to develop a new measure to assess modelling multidimensionally and to explore the relationships between parental modelling of eating behaviours with a variety of parent and child factors. Initially, a parental self-report measure (the Parental Modelling of Eating Behaviours Scale; PARM) was developed, validated and piloted as part of a series of studies exploring the associations between modelling and a range of self-reported parental and child factors. To provide further validation for the PARM, an observational coding scheme was developed, based on the newly developed modelling measure, and this was utilised in two further studies which looked at self-reported and observed parent and child factors. The key findings from this thesis suggest a number of beneficial relationships. For example, maternal modelling was positively correlated with healthy food intake in both mothers and their children. In addition, both maternal and paternal modelling were associated with children s increased enjoyment of food and lower levels of food fussiness. Observations of maternal modelling were also found to be positively related to other observed adaptive, non-directive feeding practices, such as encouragement to eat. However, less positive relationships were also identified, with modelling being related to parents mental health symptoms and to unhealthy food intake in both mothers and their children. In conclusion, this thesis has identified three distinct facets of modelling and highlighted factors which might be linked to parental role modelling around eating behaviours. While much of the research within this thesis is exploratory, and the findings require replication, they would suggest that parental modelling has the potential to positively influence children s eating behaviours. However, parents should also be made aware of the potential detrimental effect that modelling less adaptive eating behaviours may have on their children s food intake, particularly those eating behaviours that parents may be unaware of modelling.

Afin de déterminer le plus tôt possible dans le processus de conception, les solutions les pluspertinentes, la prise de décisions robuste apparait comme fondamentale pour garantir lesmeilleurs choix. A partir de solutions conceptuelles, l’étape de conception architecturale, ditede pré-dimensionnement, vise à déterminer les principales grandeurs dimensionnantes etpilotantes du système à concevoir, tout en satisfaisant l’ensemble des exigences du cahier descharges. La continuité du processus de conception entre les phases préliminaires et détailléesdépend alors de l’efficacité de la phase de conception architecturale à fournir des solutionsavec un comportement physique validé et une architecture fonctionnelle optimisée. Lesactivités de pré-dimensionnement sont donc fortement tournées vers l’optimisationnumérique. L’utilisation de ces techniques requiert une modélisation précise du problème deconception architecturale. En particulier, l’exploration de vastes espaces de conception, lareprésentation et l’évaluation de solutions candidates, ainsi que la formulation a priori despréférences sont des enjeux majeurs.Les travaux de recherche présentés dans cette thèse concernent le développement deméthodologies et la proposition d’outils pour l’aide à la décision en conception architecturaledes produits et des machines. Plus précisément, l’ensemble de ces travaux vise à fournir auxconcepteurs une démarche adaptée pour structurer et formuler des fonctions objectifs lorsquel’activité de conception est abordée par l’optimisation. Notre approche consiste à relier par lamodélisation de préférences, le comportement physique du système à concevoir avec lescritères et les objectifs de conception, selon des étapes d’observation, d’interprétation etd’agrégation. A partir du concept de désirabilité, cette méthode de modélisation est utiliséepour formuler les objectifs de conceptions et pour quantifier le niveau de satisfaction globalatteint par les solutions candidates. Cette approche est utilisée pour aborder les problèmes deconception robuste où les objectifs de performance et de sensibilité sont mis en balance. Danscette perspective, des mesures de dispersion des performances, ainsi qu’une fonction decompromis spécifique au problème de conception robuste en ingénierie, sont proposés.Enfin, l’application de ces méthodes et outils est illustrée au travers du prédimensionnementd’un évaporateur flash bi-étagé, utilisé pour le traitement des moûts dansl’industrie viticole. L’objectif est alors de trouver des solutions de conception robustes, c'està-dire, des architectures présentant à la fois un niveau de performance globale satisfaisant,incluant la qualité du produit, la transportabilité de la machine ou les coûts, et une faiblesensibilités de la température de sortie du produit, ainsi que de son titre alcoolémique. / In order to converge as soon as possible toward the most preferable design solution, takingrobust decisions appears as a topical issue to ensure the best choices in engineering design. Inparticular, started from a selected concept, embodiment design consists in determining themain dimensioning and monitoring parameters of the system while meeting the designrequirements. The continuity of the design process between the preliminary and detailedphases strongly depends on the efficiency of the embodiment design phase in providingembodied solutions with a validated physical behaviour and an optimized functional structure.Embodiment design problems are thus generally turned toward numerical optimization. Thisrequires an accurate modelling of embodiment design problems, and in particular,investigation of large design spaces, representation and evaluation of candidate solutions anda priori formalization of preferences are topical issues.Research works presented in this thesis deal with the development of methodologies andtools to support decision making during embodiment design of industrial systems andmachines. In particular, it aims to provide designers with a convenient way to structureobjectives functions for optimization in embodiment design. This approach consists in linkingthe physical behaviour of the system to be designed, with the design criteria and objectivesthrough the modelling of designer’s preferences according to observation, interpretation andaggregation steps. Based on the concept of desirability, this modelling procedure is used toformulate design objectives and to quantify the overall level of satisfaction achieved bycandidate solutions. In the scope of robust design, this method is applied first to formulatedesign objectives related to performances, and then, to formulate design objectives related tothe sensitivity of performances. Robust design problems are thus tackled as a trade-offbetween these two design objectives. Measurement methods for performance dispersion andoriginal trade-off function specific to robust design are proposed.Finally, an application of the modelling methodology through the embodiment design of atwo-staged flash evaporator for must concentration in the wine industry is presented.Objective is to find robust design solutions, i.e. configurations with simultaneously adesirable level of performance, including the quality of the vintage, the transportability of thesystem and the costs of ownership, and a low sensitivity of some performances, namely thetemperature of the outlet product and the final alcoholic strength.