Parent-Child Feeding Strategies and Their Relationships to Child Eating and Weight Status

2004 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1711-1722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myles S. Faith ◽  
Kelley S. Scanlon ◽  
Leann L. Birch ◽  
Lori A. Francis ◽  
Bettylou Sherry
2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth L. Melbye ◽  
Håvard Hansen

There is a general lack of research addressing themotivationsbehind parental use of various feeding practices. Therefore, the present work aims to extend the current literature on parent-child feeding interactions by integrating the traditional developmental psychological perspective on feeding practices with elements of Regulatory Focus Theory (RFT) derived from the field of motivational psychology. In this paper, we seek to explain associations between parental feeding practices and child (un)healthy eating behaviors by categorizing parental feeding practices into promotion and prevention focused strategies, thus exploring parent-child feeding interactions within the framework of RFT. Our analyses partly supported the idea that (1) child healthy eating is positively associated with feeding practices characterized as promotion focused, and (2) child unhealthy eating is negatively associated with feeding practices characterized as prevention focused. However, a general observation following from our results suggests that parents’ major driving forces behind reducing children’s consumption of unhealthy food items and increasing their consumption of healthy food items are strategies that motivate rather than restrict. In particular, parents’ provision of a healthy home food environment seems to be essential for child eating.


Author(s):  
Kristina D Lowe ◽  
Mark A Lott ◽  
Chad D Jensen

Abstract Objective  This study evaluated associations between parent–child connectedness and communication, parent feeding behaviors (restriction, pressure to eat, and monitoring), and age- and sex-standardized child body mass index (zBMI) in a sample of pre-adolescent children aged 8–12 years. Methods  A community sample of three hundred and eight child–parent dyads completed measures of communication and connectedness. Parents completed a feeding behavior measure and children were weighed and their height was measured. We examined whether parental feeding behaviors and parent–child communication and connectedness predicted child zBMI and whether parental feeding behaviors moderated the association between parent–child communication and connectedness and child zBMI. Results  Feeding restriction was positively associated with zBMI, while both pressure to eat and food monitoring exhibited negative associations with zBMI. Child-reported communication was inversely associated with zBMI and parental pressure to eat moderated this association such that lower pressure to eat predicted a stronger association between communication and zBMI. Conclusions  These findings are consistent with previous research suggesting that parent feeding strategies and parent–child communication are important contributors to child weight status. This study also provides preliminary evidence suggesting that adaptive parent–child communication is associated with lower body mass when parents avoid pressuring their child to eat. Our study provides an important extension of this body of research into middle childhood, a relatively understudied developmental stage.


2007 ◽  
Vol 107 (7) ◽  
pp. 1167-1174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashleigh L. May ◽  
Margaret Donohue ◽  
Kelley S. Scanlon ◽  
Bettylou Sherry ◽  
Karen Dalenius ◽  
...  

Obesity ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 2026-2033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott W. Powers ◽  
Leigh A. Chamberlin ◽  
Kelly B. van Schaick ◽  
Susan N. Sherman ◽  
Robert C. Whitaker

Obesity ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 431-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darcy L. Johannsen ◽  
Neil M. Johannsen ◽  
Bonny L. Specker

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 655-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie A. Loth ◽  
Junia Nogueira de Brito ◽  
Dianne Neumark-Sztainer ◽  
Jennifer Orlet Fisher ◽  
Jerica M. Berge

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 552-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Cimino ◽  
Luca Cerniglia ◽  
Alessio Porreca ◽  
Giulia Ballarotto ◽  
Eleonora Marzilli ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Antonina N. Mutoro ◽  
Ada L. Garcia ◽  
Charlotte M. Wright

Responsive feeding is an important aspect of child care, yet little is known about child eating and caregiver feeding behavior in Kenya. This study aimed to develop a mealtime observation methodology and assess child eating and caregiver feeding behavior in healthy and undernourished children in Nairobi. Healthy (n = 6) and undernourished (n = 13) children aged 6–24 months were observed during a meal, with standardized rating of child interest in food, mood, distraction and caregiver responsiveness. Eating and feeding behavior varied with the stage of the meal. Child interest in food decreased and child and caregiver distraction increased as the meal progressed. Healthy children were happy and interested in food during meals, but undernourished children often had low interest in food (7/13). The 7 undernourished children eating home food were distracted (3) and unhappy (5) but children eating ready-to-use therapeutic foods (6) were all happy and undistracted. Caregivers of healthy children offered encouragement more often during meals than caregivers of undernourished children (5/6 healthy, 3/13 undernourished). Meal observations were resource intensive and could give only a snapshot of the child feeding experience. More efficient research methods that can capture a general assessment of infant eating behavior are needed.


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