Parental influence on children's early eating environments and obesity risk: implications for prevention

Abstract

Most childhood obesity prevention efforts have focused on school-age children and adolescents and have had limited success. We argue that the first years of life, including the prenatal period, the postnatal suckling period and the transition to the modified adult diet, may provide opportunities for preventive interventions. These early periods are characterized by high plasticity and rapid transitions, and parents have a high degree of control over children's environments and experiences. Observational and experimental evidence reveal persistent effects of early environments on eating behavior and obesity risk, suggesting that interventions should be tested during these early periods. The central task parents have in early development points to their potential as key targets and agents of change in early preventive interventions. In this paper, we review evidence of early environmental effects on children's eating and obesity risk, highlighting ways that parental feeding practices and parents' own behaviors impact these outcomes and calling for further experimental research to elucidate whether these factors are indeed promising targets for childhood obesity preventive interventions.

Maternal over-nutrition and offspring obesity predisposition: targets for preventative interventions

“…4 The environment shared within families during the post-natal developmental period is undoubtedly an important factor in the development of offspring obesity. 7 However, the relationship between maternal obesity and offspring obesity is stronger than that of paternal obesity with the risk of extreme obesity (BMI 440) five times greater in relatives of extremely obese women. 5 This could result from imprinting of maternal genes that influence energy balance, but a more widely accepted possibility is that the predisposition is mediated by the in utero environment a developing fetus in an obese woman is exposed to.…”

Influence of parents' behavior during the meal and on overweight in childhood

“…31 Adequate food and nutrition are basic requirements for the integrality of health care. 26 Interventions for the reduction of overweight in children should focus on the family and the household 9,12,32,33 for the promotion of positive parental eating practices, considering the role of parental modeling in children's eating behavior. 32,33 Parents or guardians should be empowered about healthy eating and sensitized about the need to change the family's lifestyle.…”

Challenges of Healthy Eating Habits in Rural Communities

“…Also, parents tend to serve as role models for children's behavior, which in turn affects early learning in regard to food preferences and eating behaviors in children. 27,29 Similarly, researchers have taken note of the effects of observational learning on children and have shown that observational learning affects children's intake. 27,30 Observing others consuming healthier foods can aid in promoting children's acceptance of healthier food options.…”

“…27,29 Similarly, researchers have taken note of the effects of observational learning on children and have shown that observational learning affects children's intake. 27,30 Observing others consuming healthier foods can aid in promoting children's acceptance of healthier food options. As such, parents need to ensure that they are not merely instructing their children that they need to eat healthy.…”

“…22 This theory has been applied multiple times in an attempt to understand various food and beverage consumption behavior intentions among young people. [24][25][26][27][28] It has been shown that parental food preferences, intake patterns, and eating behaviors influence the foods available to young children. Also, parents tend to serve as role models for children's behavior, which in turn affects early learning in regard to food preferences and eating behaviors in children.…”