Affective tone of mothers' statements to restrict their children's eating

Abstract

Maternal restrictive feeding behaviors have been associated with child weight status. The affective tone of mothers’ statements intended to restrict their children’s eating has not been examined. The objectives of this study were to describe the affective tone of mothers’ restrictive feeding behaviors (positive or negative), and to test the association of child and mother characteristics with rates of Restriction with Positive Affect, Restriction with Negative Affect and Total Restriction. A total of 237 low-income child-mother dyads (mean child age 5.9 years) participated in a videotaped standardized laboratory eating protocol, during which mothers and children were both presented with large servings of cupcakes. A coding scheme was developed to count each restrictive statement with a positive affective tone and each restrictive statement with a negative affective tone. To establish reliability, 20% of videos were double-coded. Demographics and anthropometrics were obtained. Poisson regression models were used to test the association between characteristics of the child and mother with counts of Restriction with Positive Affect, Restriction with Negative Affect, and Total Restriction. Higher rates of Restriction with Positive Affect and Total Restriction were predicted by child obese weight status, and mother non-Hispanic white race/ethnicity. Higher rates of Restriction with Negative Affect were predicted by older child age, child obese weight status, mother non-Hispanic white race/ethnicity, and lower mother education level. In conclusion, in this study mothers of obese (vs. non-obese) children had higher rates of restriction in general, but particularly higher rates of Restriction with Negative Affect. Rather than being told not to restrict, mothers may need guidance on how to sensitively restrict their child’s intake. Future studies should consider the contributions of maternal affect to children’s responses to maternal restriction.

Observed restrictive feeding practices among low‐income mothers of pre‐adolescents

“…One of the most important contributions of this study is the use of a carefully implemented laboratory protocol designed to elicit restrictive feeding among mothers. The current protocol, in which dyads were served a meal and then presented with large portions of common sweet foods while the meal was still available, was expanded from the protocol used by Pesch et al, 26,[31][32][33] which provided dyads with chocolate cupcakes and only elicited restrictive statements in approximately half of mothers. However, the use of a new protocol means that findings across study samples cannot be perfectly compared.…”

“…29 However, despite only a modest correlation between these two types of restriction, 27 many studies combine the two for analysis. Alternatively, in a series of studies, Pesch et al 26,[31][32][33] differentiated statements that mothers used to restrict their young children's eating during a laboratory-based eating protocol where children were presented a large portion of cupcakes by their degree of directness and affect.…”

“…In contrast, restrictive statements with positive affect were only slightly more frequent when children had obesity. 31 This body of research suggests that further work is needed to understand how parents use different approaches to restrict their children's eating; the extent to which specific family, parent or child characteristics may elicit different approaches to restriction; and, ultimately, whether different approaches to restriction have differential impacts on children's eating behaviours and obesity risk.…”

How information about what is "healthy" versus "unhealthy" impacts children's consumption of otherwise identical foods

“…Second, how might the explicit messages provided in this study differ from or complement the language that parents use at home when talking about food or health? Several studies have examined parental talk about food, often focusing on patterns of restriction and encouragement (e.g., Pesch, Miller, Appugliese, Rosenblum, & Lumeng, 2018;Stark et al, 2000). In one study, mothers of obese children used more direct imperatives when their child was presented with a familiar dessert compared to mothers whose children were not obese .…”

Methodological considerations for observational coding of eating and feeding behaviors in children and their families

“… – Pesch et al, 2016 [ 55 ] Home mealtime practices Child eating at a kitchen/dining room Table (Y vs N) TV audible (Y vs N) Mother sits at the table to eat or drink during the meal (Y vs N) No Simple dichotomous variables capturing limited mealtime practices. – Pesch et al, 2016 [ 56 ] Affective tone of mother’s statements to restrict child eating Statements categorized as having positive or negative affect No Characterizes mother’s tone and affect around restrictive feeding interactions. Descriptions of tonality may be difficult to interpret and apply reliably.…”