Influence of parental attitudes in the development of children eating behaviour

Abstract

The present paper is a review of available data on effects of parental feeding attitudes and styles on child nutritional behaviour. Food preferences develop from genetically determined predispositions to like sweet and salty flavours and to dislike bitter and sour tastes. There is evidence for existence of some innate, automatic mechanism that regulate appetite. However, from birth genetic predispositions are modified by experience. There are mechanisms of taste development: mere exposure, medicine effect, flavour learning, flavour nutrient learning. Parents play a pivotal role in the development of their child's food preferences and energy intake, with research indicating that certain child feeding practices, such as exerting excessive control over what and how much children eat, may contribute to childhood overweight. Mothers are of particular interest on children's eating behaviour, as they have been shown to spend significantly more time than fathers in direct interactions with their children across several familial situations.A recent paper describes two primary aspects of control: restriction, which involves restricting children's access to junk foods and restricting the total amount of food, and pressure, which involves pressuring children to eat healthy foods (usually fruits and vegetables) and pressuring to eat more in general.The results showed significant correlations between parent and child for reported nutritional behaviour like food intake, eating motivations, and body dis-and satisfaction. Parents create environments for children that may foster the development of healthy eating behaviours and weight, or that may promote overweight and aspects of disordered eating. In conclusion positive parental role model may be a better method for improving a child's diet than attempts at dietary control. Understanding children's eating attitudes and behaviour is important in terms of children's health. Evidence also indicates that dietary habits acquired in childhood persist through to adulthood (1) . In addition, research also indicates a role for childhood nutrition on adult health (2) .Parents provide food environments for their children's early experiences with food and eating. Several studies have shown that a child's eating behaviour is strongly influenced by the family environment. The family eating environments include parents' own eating behaviours and child-feeding practices.Results of research on behavioural mediators of familial patterns indicate that parents' own eating behaviours and their parenting practices influence the development of children's eating behaviours.Parents create environments for children that may foster the development of healthy eating behaviours and weight, or that may promote overweight and aspects of disordered eating. Characteristics of these environments include socio-demographic factors, parental activity, parental eating styles (3) and parents' child-feeding styles. Parents shape the development of children's eating behaviours, not only by the foods they make accessibl...

Implementation of parental feeding practices: does parenting style matter?

“…The sample size for the current study was relatively small for the number of tests; therefore the results should be interpreted with caution. In summary, given the critical role that the parents have in the development and maintenance of children's eating behaviours and attitudes (45,46) , parenting style should be a key focus in future intervention and prevention programmes.…”

Perceptions of parental pressure to eat and eating behaviours in preadolescents: The mediating role of anxiety

“…It plausible that children who report higher levels of anxiety or depression may perceive their parents as more controlling over their eating behaviours, as well as more controlling in their general parenting style. Further, it is possible that there may be links found between preadolescents' reports of dietary restraint, emotional eating and external eating behaviours and their parents' reports of these eating behaviours, Anxiety, parental feeding and preadolescent eating 23 as parents model eating behaviours to their children (e.g., Palfreyman, Haycraft & Meyer, 2012;Scaglioni et al, 2008). Parents' own eating behaviours and levels of anxiety are likely to influence the way they control their children's eating experiences.…”

“…Children begin to have more control over decisions about food choices and food environments, and parents' control over feeding may change to reflect this during preadolescence. However, parents remain the primary providers of food until a child reaches adolescence (Savage et al, 2007), yet much of the previous research in this domain focusses on parental feeding practices with younger children (e.g., Rodgers et al, 2013;Scaglioni et al, 2008).…”

Association between parental motives for food choice and eating patterns of 12- to 13-year-old Norwegian children

“…The family eating environment, including parental food attitudes, eating behaviour and feeding practices, is central in the development of children's eating habits and weight outcome (16)(17)(18)(19)(20) . However, few studies have examined the relationship between parental food choice motives and children's dietary habits (21,22) .…”