Impact of Maternal Infant Weight Perception on Infant Feeding and Dietary Intake

Abstract

Introduction Obesity is a global problem that is challenging to prevent and expensive to treat. Early childhood interventions show promise in establishing lifelong healthy eating patterns, however a better understanding of how parental feeding practices develop is needed. The study aimed to investigate maternal perception of infant weight and its relationship to feeding practices and infant dietary intake. Methods A questionnaire was completed by 263 Queensland mothers of infants aged between 5 and 13 months. Logistic regression was used to describe the association between maternal feeding practices (restriction, pressure-to-eat, monitoring), parenting style (warmth, hostility), infant weight concern and infant dietary intake. Correlation and linear regression were used to identify relationships between maternal feeding practices, parenting style, infant weight concern and infant weight. Results Mothers were found to be more concerned about underweight than overweight, misjudge infants as being underweight and failed to recognise overweight infants. Underweight concern was associated with infant weight (r = -0.27, p < 0.01), early introduction of solids (OR 0.24, CI 0.11-0.51) and pressure-to-eat (r = 0.19, p < 0.01). Pressure-to-eat was associated to maternal perception of infant weight (r = - 0.21, p < 0.01), infant weight (r = - 0.17, p < 0.05) and lower fruit and vegetable intake (OR 0.50, CI 0.27-0.92). Restrictive feeding practices were correlated to overweight concern (r = 0.08, p < 0.05). Discussion Maternal infant weight perception and concerns are related to control feeding practices which can be detrimental to infant dietary intake. Inability to recognise healthy weight may ignite these concerns or fail to address infant feeding risk factors. Discussing healthy growth should be a fundamental component of strategies to support healthy infant feeding and eating.

Parental Perceptions and Behaviors Regarding Child Weight Status among Toddlers Born Preterm

“…Appropriate feeding patterns may require accurate parental perceptions of child weight, as these perceptions are thought to determine feeding behavior. 12,32,33 However, only few studies to date have accessed parental perceptions of child weight and feeding practices for children under 2 years of age, 34,35 and no study, aside from our own, has assessed the relationship between parental perceptions, parental beliefs, and child feeding behaviors among toddlers born preterm. The relationship between parental beliefs and child weight can be challenging to evaluate because it is likely bidirectional.…”

Complementary Feeding in Developed Countries: The 3 Ws (When, What, and Why?)

“…There is a close direct and indirect association between optimal nutritional education of caregivers/parents and lower risk of overweight and obesity in early life [34]. It has been reported that an authoritative feeding style and healthy nutrition behavior are related to better infant nutritional behavior [34], while restrictive feeding practices based on maternal infant weight perception and concerns are positively associated with higher weightlength gain during the first year of life and subsequent obesity risk during childhood [35]. These findings, however, have been obtained from observational studies which involved toddlers rather than infants, and further intervention studies are required to achieve stronger conclusions.…”

Relationships of family history of disease and child weight status to child routines: Multi‐mediating effect of parental feeding practices and perception of child's weight

“…Yilmaz, Erkorkmaz, Ozcetin, and Karaaslan () found that parents' perception of their children's weight determines practices, such as restricting food. Similarly, Harrison, Brodribb, Davies, and Hepworth () found that parents who are concerned that their children are underweight are more likely to pressure them to eat, and parents who are concerned that their children are overweight are more likely to restrict food. However, researchers have not investigated whether parental feeding practices mediate the relationship between children's weight and healthy routines.…”