Relationships between the eating behaviors of parents and their 18-month-old children: A laboratory study

Abstract

Twenty‐nine 18‐month‐old children and their parents participated in a laboratory study during which eating behavior was directly observed. Each of the parents selected food from a standard buffet and ate alone on separate occasions. The child ate at another time assisted by his or her mother who did not eat at the same time. Principal Components Analyses revealed three eating behaviors shared by parents and their children: caloric intake (meal content); active feed time (eating duration); and bite frequency (eating style). Mothers' eating style and fathers' duration of eating were correlated (r = .55). A pattern of rapid eating in mothers and prolonged eating in fathers was associated with a higher caloric intake in their child. Thus children's caloric intake was significantly correlated with mother's eating style (r = .49) and with father's duration of eating (r = .54). A weaker relationship was found between the caloric intakes of family members, and there was also a tendency for similar behaviors of parents and their children to be related. The implications of these findings for family‐based weight control programs are examined.

Energy and fat intake in obese and lean children at varying risk of obesity

“…Parents may set and enforce rules that govern eating behaviour, or can directly encourage a child to eat; something which has been positively associated with the child's weight. 47 They also guide and direct children's food selections. 48 Although children in general can regulate their eating behaviour in order to obtain adequate nutrition, 49 a subsequent study by the same group showed that parents who used more controlling behaviour in feeding practices had children who were less able to regulate their EI according to normal physiological cues.…”

Psychological issues in pediatric obesity

“…Thus the baby gets tuned to the fact that food is a source of comfort and this serves as the only source of satiation for him or her. [43] Obese parents are more rigid about food habits and may often criticize their own child if he puts on weight. They are also more rigid about discipline and stringent about food allocation to the child.…”

Obesity in Children: Recent Advances in Energy Metabolism and Body Composition

“…3 No. 3 May 1995 281 There was a large discrepancy between DEXA estimates of body fat and that measured by chemical analysis.…”

“…However, in children there are very little data on the relationship between the sensory qualities of fat and subsequent intake. Children as young as 18 months of age have been reported to prefer high fat foods such as hot dogs (3). In a prospective study following children from age 6 months to 4 years, 47% to 65% of children who at age 2 consumed a high fat diet compared to their peers continued to be among those in the upper tertile for fat intake at age 4 (90).…”