The role of parental control practices in explaining children's diet and BMI

Parental restriction and children’s diets. The chocolate coin and Easter egg experiments

“…Similarly, Brown and Ogden (2004) reported that greater parental control was associated with higher intakes of healthy snack foods and Ogden et al (2006) concluded that whereas overt control was associated with an increased intake of healthy snacks, covert control was linked to a decrease in unhealthy snacks. Similar results were also found in another sample of parents with small children (Brown, Ogden et al, 2008).…”

“…Similarly, Brown and Ogden (2004) reported that greater parental control was associated with higher intakes of healthy snack foods and Ogden et al (2006) concluded that whereas overt control was associated with an increased intake of healthy 5 snacks, covert control was linked to a decrease in unhealthy snacks. Similar results were also found in another sample of parents with small children (Brown, Ogden et al, 2008).Research has therefore explored the role of parental control on child's diet and weight.There are however, several problems with this literature which need to be addressed. First, many of the studies are cross sectional in their design and yet draw causal conclusions (even if presented tentatively).…”

“…It is possible that introducing unhealthy foods into a household raises the salience of such foods which in turn makes children desire them more. This suggestion finds reflection in the notion of covert control which highlights how controlling children's diets simply by reducing exposure and managing their environment in ways not detected by the children, may result in healthier food choices and preferences (Ogden et al, 2006;Brown et al, 2008). Conversely, in the present study, the arrival of either chocolate coins or Easter eggs into the home, reflected poorer covert control resulting in less healthy food preferences.…”

“…This enabled both the specific and generalised impact of control to be assessed. The studies also focused on one form of parental control (ie overt control) as this construct finds reflection in the focus on 'restriction' central to all key measures of control and can be manipulated with simple instructions (Ogden et al, 2006;Brown et al, 2008). In particular, study 1 explored the impact of parental overt control on children's preoccupation and intake of chocolate coins over the course of a weekend, whereas study 2 explored the impact of parental overt control on children's preoccupation and intake of Easter eggs over a two week period.…”

“…Accordingly, parents need to find a strategy which limits their child's diet without creating either increased preoccupation with that food, or a rebound effect onto other foods. One solution could be covert control defined in previous work although this requires further research (Ogden et al, 2006;Brown et al, 2008). …”