Associations between parental feeding practices, problem food behaviours and dietary intake in New Zealand overweight children aged 4–8 years

Abstract

Objective: Parents report that children's eating behaviours are a major barrier to providing them with a healthy diet. Links between problem eating behaviours and parental feeding practices are not well established and have not previously been examined in overweight children. The aim of the present study was to assess associations between problem food behaviours, dietary intake and parental feeding practices of overweight children aged 4-8 years. Design: Participants were recruited for a lifestyle intervention (n 203). At baseline, children's BMI was measured and parents completed comprehensive questionnaires about the feeding practices they used, the problem food behaviours their children exhibited and the foods their child consumed. A fussy eating scale was developed and associations were determined using correlations and regression analysis, including interactions. Setting: Dunedin, New Zealand. Subjects: Overweight children aged 4-8 years.Results: Healthy eating guidance and monitoring by parents were related to the consumption of fewer unhealthy foods (B = − 0·4, P = 0·001 and B = − 0·4, P < 0·001). Conversely, a lack of parental control (child control) was related to a higher intake of unhealthy foods (B = 0·5, P < 0·001). Parents of children who were fussy eaters monitored their child's food intake less (P < 0·001) and allowed the child more freedom over what he/she ate (P < 0·001). These children consumed fewer fruit and vegetables than those who were not fussy eaters (P < 0·001). However, fussy eaters with food-restrictive parents ate more fruit and vegetables (B = 2·9, P < 0·001). Conclusions: These results suggest that a more structured food environment might be beneficial for the diet and food behaviours of young overweight children.

Picky/fussy eating in children: Review of definitions, assessment, prevalence and dietary intakes

“…Lifestyle Behaviour Checklist (West & Sanders, 2009) Five items including refusal to eat foods and resistance or difficult behaviour around food Haszard et al (2014) Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (Wardle et al, 2001) Six items identified pickiness: high fussiness/high slowness in eating/high satiety responsiveness/low food enjoyment/low food responsiveness Bucher, Siegrist, and van der Horst (Baughcum et al, 2001) Six items on child being a picky eater (picky eating/willingness to eat new foods/has to have special food because picky/struggle to get to eat/poor appetite) Evans et al (2011) Oregon Research Institute Child Eating Behavior Inventory (Archer, Rosenbaum, & Streiner, 1991) Four items related to picky eating (food neophobia/food rejection/food preparation preferences/limited variety) Shim et al (2011) Four items identified pickiness: limited variety/food refusal/struggle for control/positive parental behaviour Lewinsohn et al (2005) Modified Pelchat and Pliner Questionnaire (Pelchat & Pliner, 1986) tasted before' (from the Fussiness subscale of the CEBQ)). Studyspecific question(s) can be specially designed for the particular study cohort and can provide more flexibility than pre-existing questionnaire items.…”

“…Other questionnaires such as the Lifestyle Behaviour Checklist (West & Sanders, 2009) (e.g. Haszard et al (2014)) and the Child Behaviour Checklist (Richman & Graham, 1971) (e.g. Cardona Cano et al, 2015;Hafstad et al, 2013) are also in recent use, as are studyspecific measures (e.g.…”

“…Maternal healthy eating behaviour has been associated with lower child food fussiness (Gregory, Paxton, & Brozovic, 2010). Although some studies report a higher intake of energy (Finistrella et al, 2012) or energy-dense foods such as savoury snacks and sweets (Tharner, Jansen, Kiefte-de Jong, Moll, & van der Ende, 2014) among children who are picky eaters, most report that picky eating is likely to lead to a reduction in overall food consumption and a distortion of the nutrient composition of the diet through lack of variety [reduced energy intake (Cardona Cano et al, 2015;Carruth, Ziegler, Gordon, & Barr, 2004;Jacobi et al, 2003;Volger et al, 2013); lower intake of fruits and vegetables Galloway, Fiorito, Lee, & Birch, 2005;Haszard, Skidmore, Williams, & Taylor, 2014;Horodynski, Stommel, Brophy-Herb, Xie, & Weatherspoon, 2010;Jacobi et al, 2003;Tharner et al, 2014); lower intake of vitamins and minerals (Cardona Cano et al, 2015;Carruth et al, 2004;Galloway et al, 2005); and lower intakes of whole grain products and dietary fibre (Galloway et al, 2005)]. This can lead to a higher risk of being underweight and having poor growth (Dubois, Farmer, Girard, Peterson, & Tatone-Tokuda, 2007;Ekstein, Laniado, & Glick, 2010;Jansen et al, 2012;Kwok, Ho, Chow, So, & Leung, 2013;Sleddens, Kremers, & Thijs, 2008;Viana, Sinde, & Saxton, 2008;Webber, Hill, Saxton, Van Jaarsveld, & Wardle, 2009), or of being overweight (Finistrella et al, 2012), or of developing eating disorders (Marchi & Cohen, 1990).…”

Child gender and weight status moderate the relation of maternal feeding practices to body esteem in 1st grade children

“…Although monitoring can be viewed as an authoritative and positive feeding practice in relation to children's intake of high-energy dense foods and excessive weight gain (Brown & Ogden, 2004;Faith, Scanlon, Birch, Francis, & Sherry, 2004;Haszard, Skidmore, Williams, & Taylor, 2014), our findings suggest that monitoring may negatively influence children's body esteem, especially among girls. In our sample, greater maternal monitoring was not only associated with lower body esteem in girls compared to boys, but its influence was substantially greater among overweight and obese girls.…”

Parental feeding practices and their relation to child eating behavior: Problems for explanation / Prácticas alimentarias parentales y su relación con la conducta alimentaria infantil: Problemas para la explicación

“…Relación entre las prácticas alimentarias parentales con los retos y las problemáticas de la conducta alimentaria infantil reportadas en la literatura. Control del niño 4-8 Haszard et al (2015) también puede ser encubierta, cuando se limitan las oportunidades para consumir o la disponibilidad de alimentos en el hogar, sin mediar una restricción explícita; no obstante, sus efectos han sido poco estuUna posible solución a esto sería identificar la distinción entre las conductas con una terminología diferente, o bien, realizar subcategorías de las PAP. Ogden, Reynolds y Smith (2006) Notas.…”