Latina mothers' influences on child appetite regulation

Abstract

Parents influence child weight through interactions that shape the development of child eating behaviors. In this study we examined the association between maternal autonomy promoting serving practices and child appetite regulation. We predicted that maternal autonomy promoting serving practices would be positively associated with child appetite regulation. Participants were low-income Latino children—a group at high risk for the development of childhood obesity. A total of 186 low-income Latina mothers and their 4-5 year old children came to a laboratory on two separate days. On the first day, mothers and children chose foods for a meal from a buffet and were audio/videotaped so that maternal autonomy promoting serving practices could be later coded. On the second day, children completed the Eating in the Absence of Hunger (EAH) task to measure child appetite regulation. Mothers also completed the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) to measure other aspects of child appetite regulation (food responsiveness, satiety responsiveness, and emotional overeating). Maternal autonomy promotion during serving was assessed using seven separate measures of child and maternal behavior. Principal components analyses of these serving measures yielded three components: allows child choice, child serves food, and mother does not restrict. Consistent with hypotheses, maternal autonomy promoting serving practices (i.e., allows child choice and does not restrict) were negatively associated with maternal reports of child food responsiveness and emotional overeating (CEBQ). The results for the EAH task were more complex—mothers who were autonomy promoting in their serving practices had children who ate the most in the absence of hunger, but this linear effect was moderated somewhat by quadratic effect, with moderate levels of autonomy promotion during serving associated with the greatest child EAH.

Maternal Feeding Styles and Food Parenting Practices as Predictors of Longitudinal Changes in Weight Status in Hispanic Preschoolers from Low-Income Families

“…It has been argued that much of the association of feeding styles and feeding practices with children's weight status is due to the parenting behaviors being in response to their child's eating behaviors, which may actually drive the association [ 39 ]. In the analysis presented here, three child eating behavior characteristics (food responsiveness, emotional overeating, and satiety responsiveness) previously linked to either parent food parenting practices or child weight status in cross-sectional studies [ 29 , 30 ] were assessed. While satiety responsiveness was significantly negatively correlated with the child's BMI z -score at Time 1, none of these child eating behaviors correlated with the BMI z -score at Time 2.…”

“…The CEBQ has been used successfully in low-income samples [ 28 ]. To reduce the number of variables in the analyses, the three subscales related to the self-regulation of caloric intake—food responsiveness (e.g., my child is always asking for food), emotional overeating (e.g., my child eats more when worried), and satiety responsiveness (e.g., my child gets full before his/her meal is finished)—were used in this study as they have been linked to food parenting practices and child weight in Hispanic samples [ 29 , 30 ].…”

Nutrition in the First 1000 Days: Ten Practices to Minimize Obesity Emerging from Published Science

“…Parents influence a child’s weight through interactions that shape the development of child eating behaviors. Maternal autonomy promoting serving practices is positively associated with child appetite regulation [ 58 , 63 ].…”

Longitudinal associations between eating and drinking engagement during mealtime and eating in the absence of hunger in low income toddlers

“…Maternal reports of child higher FR and lower SR have been associated with higher weight status (Carnell & Wardle, 2008, 2009; Domoff, Miller, Kaciroti, & Lumeng, 2015; Sánchez, Weisstaub, Santos, Corvalán, & Uauy, 2016; Sleddens, Kremers, & Thijs, 2008; Spence, Carson, Casey, & Boule, 2011; van Jaarsveld, Boniface, Llewellyn, & Wardle, 2014; Viana, Sinde, & Saxton, 2008; Webber, Hill, Saxton, Van Jaarsveld, & Wardle, 2009). Yet, studies that have examined associations among maternal reports of child FR and EAH among diverse cohorts of preschoolers and toddlers have found null results (Carnell & Wardle, 2007; Garcia, Power, Fisher, O’Connor, & Hughes, 2016; Mallan et al, 2014). Similarly, studies that have accessed the associations between maternal reports of child SR and EAH in these samples have also mostly found null results (Garcia et al, 2016; Mallan et al, 2014), with an exception of one study of preschoolers and older children that showed EAH was associated with SR (Carnell & Wardle, 2007).…”

“…Yet, studies that have examined associations among maternal reports of child FR and EAH among diverse cohorts of preschoolers and toddlers have found null results (Carnell & Wardle, 2007; Garcia, Power, Fisher, O’Connor, & Hughes, 2016; Mallan et al, 2014). Similarly, studies that have accessed the associations between maternal reports of child SR and EAH in these samples have also mostly found null results (Garcia et al, 2016; Mallan et al, 2014), with an exception of one study of preschoolers and older children that showed EAH was associated with SR (Carnell & Wardle, 2007). One possible reason for this lack of associations could be that assessing child eating behaviors using parental reports has limitations, for example reporter bias.…”