Parental body dissatisfaction and controlling child feeding practices: A prospective study of Australian parent-child dyads

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine whether parents' reported use of controlling feeding practices (restrictive feeding and pressure to eat) change over 6 months, and whether parents' concerns about their own weight and shape are prospectively associated with increasing use of controlling feeding practices. Participants were 48 Australian parents (92% female; M age = 37.8 years) who completed questionnaires twice, with a 6-month time lag, regarding a target child aged 7.6 years on average (52% female). Results revealed that, in general, parental feeding practices and body dissatisfaction showed little change over 6 months. As expected, parental body dissatisfaction predicted increased use over time of restrictive feeding practices for the purpose of managing child weight, but (unexpectedly) not restrictive feeding for child health or pressure to eat. The findings provide key evidence that parents who use higher levels of controlling feeding practices are likely to continue to do so over time, and that parental body dissatisfaction poses a small but significant risk for parents' increasing use of restrictive feeding for management of child weight. The present findings support suggestions that the connection between parent body dissatisfaction and maladaptive feeding practices play a role in the intergenerational transmission of body image and eating pathology.

Can Parental Body Dissatisfaction Predict That of Children? A Study on Body Dissatisfaction, Body Mass Index, and Desire to Diet in Children Aged 9–11 and Their Families

“…This result should be further explored in future studies since, as Doley et al (2020) claimed, there are scarce studies that include males. In this sense, it would also be interesting to consider other variables in the family environment that may explain children's body dissatisfaction, such as critical comments and teasing by parents (Dahill et al, 2021), communication style (Hitti et al, 2020), eating habits (de Oliveira da Silva et al, 2018;Webb and Haycraft, 2019;Burnettea and Mazzeo, 2020), and physical activity (Matthews-Ewald et al, 2015).…”

“…The authors found that, in a sample of children aged 3-7 years, parental dissatisfaction as assessed by a silhouette scale correlated with child dissatisfaction (Kościcka et al, 2016). Similarly, Webb and Haycraft (2019) highlight the link between body dissatisfaction and disadaptative eating habits of parents and the body dissatisfaction of children aged 6-9 years.…”

“…Despite the rise in body dissatisfaction among boys, to the best of our knowledge, there are no studies analyzing mother-son dyads. Although the father's role is crucial in the healthy development of children (Hitti et al, 2020), studies about paternal body dissatisfaction and its relationship with those of the children are scarce (Matthews-Ewald et al, 2015;Chng and Fassnacht, 2016;Kościcka et al, 2016;Wansink et al, 2017;Webb and Haycraft, 2019;Biolcati et al, 2020).…”

Maternal body dissatisfaction in pregnancy, postpartum and early parenting: An overlooked factor implicated in maternal and childhood obesity risk

“…In turn, maternal excess weight significantly increases offspring's obesity risk via epigenetic effects in utero (Saben et al, 2016;Turner & Robker, 2014). In the postpartum period, associations between maternal body image and excess weight gain/retention may contribute to the development of potentially problematic parent-child feeding interactions and practices in early childhood (Haire-Joshu & Tabak, 2016;Hauff & Demerath, 2012;Webb & Haycraft, 2019) that may compromise children's ability to engage with satiety cues (e.g., Birch, Fisher, & Davison, 2003) and thereby promote obesity risk (e.g., Afonso et al, 2016;Graziano, Calkins, & Keane, 2010).…”

“…The potential negative impact that maternal body dissatisfaction can have on mothers' mental health (i.e., depression) and/or unhealthful eating behaviour (i.e., binge eating) may reduce her engagement in practices, such as breastfeeding, that assist to combat excess body weight (e.g., de Jager, Skouteris, Broadbent, Amir, & Mellor, 2013;Goldschmidt et al, 2014;Hauff & Demerath, 2012;Stice & Shaw, 2002;Torgersen et al, 2010). In turn, associations between maternal body image and factors implicated in health behaviour (i.e., mental health symptoms; disordered eating patterns) may influence the quality of early parent-child interactions, including potentially problematic child feeding practices (e.g., Bergmeier et al, 2016;Farrow & Blissett, 2005;Haire-Joshu & Tabak, 2016;McPhie, Skouteris, Daniels, & Jansen, 2014;Stang & Loth, 2011;Webb & Haycraft, 2019). Problematic parent-child interactions have been implicated in promoting childhood obesity risk (e.g., Anderson, Lemeshow, & Whitaker, 2014).…”