Associations between child temperament, maternal feeding practices and child body mass index during the preschool years: a systematic review of the literature

Abstract

It is a research priority to identify modifiable risk factors to improve the effectiveness of childhood obesity prevention strategies. Research, however, has largely overlooked the role of child temperament and personality implicated in obesogenic risk factors such as maternal feeding and body mass index (BMI) of preschoolers. A systematic review of relevant literature was conducted to investigate the associations between child temperament, child personality, maternal feeding and BMI and/or weight gain in infants and preschoolers; 18 papers were included in the review. The findings revealed an association between the temperament traits of poor self-regulation, distress to limitations, low and high soothability, low negative affectivity and higher BMI in infants and preschool-aged children. Temperament traits difficult, distress to limitations, surgency/extraversion and emotionality were significantly associated with weight gain rates in infants. The results also suggested that child temperament was associated with maternal feeding behaviours that have been shown to influence childhood overweight and obesity, such as using restrictive feeding practices with children perceived as having poor self-regulation and feeding potentially obesogenic food and drinks to infants who are more externalizing. Interestingly, no studies to date have evaluated the association between child personality and BMI/weight gain in infants and preschoolers. There is a clear need for further research into the association of child temperament and obesogenic risk factors in preschool-aged children.

Early life determinants of physical activity and sedentary time: Current knowledge and future research

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“…While dietary self-regulation is crucial to combat childhood obesity, some parents face more constraints than others in helping their child achieve this goal. A child's temperament is prominent among these, yet has been surprisingly understudied in obesity research (Bergmeier et al 2014). Temperament refers to individual differences in a child's behavioral style, reflecting traits such as adaptability, persistence, distractibility, emotionality, and intensity (Carey, Hegvik and McDevitt 1988).…”

The impact of front-of-pack marketing attributes versus nutrition and health information on parents' food choices

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