Bidirectional associations between parental feeding practices, infant appetitive traits and infant BMIz: a longitudinal cohort study

Abstract

Background Little is known about the pathways linking parent feeding practices with appetitive traits and BMIz throughout infancy. This study examined bidirectional associations between parental feeding practices, infant appetitive traits, and infant BMIz. Methods Parents (n = 380) of infants aged less than 6 months at baseline reported their feeding practices (using the Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire (FPSQ) for infants and toddlers), infant appetitive traits (using the Baby Eating Behaviour Questionnaire) and infant BMIz (parent-reported) at three timepoints (< 6 months, ~ 9 months, ~ 12 months) up to 12 months of age. Cross-lagged models examined bidirectional associations between parent feeding practices, infant appetitive traits and infant BMIz. Results There was strong continuity across the three timepoints for maternal feeding practices, infant appetitive traits, and infant BMIz. Infant food avoidance was prospectively associated with higher parental persuasive feeding. Infant BMIz was prospectively associated with higher parent-led feeding. Parent use of food to calm was prospectively associated with lower infant BMIz, and infant BMIz was prospectively associated with higher infant food approach. Feeding on demand was prospectively associated with lower infant food approach. Conclusion This study highlights the complex associations between parental feeding practices, infant appetitive traits and infant BMIz. The study demonstrated that both child and parent effects are important, suggesting a need for tailored programs beginning in infancy to promote and support infant appetitive traits and parent feeding practices that support healthy development.

Parental Feeding Practices and Children’s Eating Behaviours: An Overview of Their Complex Relationship

“…Nevertheless, this also advocates that pressure to eat may be counterproductive [97]. Additionally, a study in infants, evaluating three-time points from 3 to 12 months of age, found that food avoidance was prospectively associated with higher parental persuasive feeding (feeding the infant even if they are not hungry), but this practice did not predict infants' behaviours [98].…”

Parental Feeding Practice in Relation to Their Children’s Weight Status among Puncak Alam Residents

“…The involvement of parents in their children's feeding practices has demonstrated a significant impact on children's weight status, as evidenced by Burnett et al in 2022. It has been commonly observed that parents often transmit their own eating patterns and food preferences to their children. This parental influence shapes a child's dietary behaviours and food inclinations.…”

“…These practices refer to the behaviours and strategies parents use to feed their children, including the foods they provide, portion sizes, feeding schedules, and how they interact with their children during mealtimes. Different parental feeding practices can affect children's weight and eating habits (Burnett et al, 2022). The critical developmental period of children was when they were under five years old, as that period represented the transition from childhood to adolescence, spanning ages 0-59 months (Ma'alin et al, 2016, as cited in Ewune et al, 2022.…”

Parent-reported child appetite moderates relationships between child genetic obesity risk and parental feeding practices

“…At the family level, food parenting practices have been posited as determinants of children's eating behaviors and weight (4). However, increasing longitudinal and bidirectional evidence suggests that parents' feeding practices are often influenced by child characteristics, such as appetitive behaviors and bodyweight (5)(6)(7)(8)(9), both of which are genetically influenced (10-12). It is, therefore, conceivable that the relationships of food parenting with child appetite and bodyweight, to some degree, reflect an instance of evocative gene-environment correlation (13), such that parents respond to children's genetically influenced obesity risk by modifying their food parenting behaviors.…”