The role of parental depression during early childhood obesity treatment—Secondary findings from a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Summary Background Parental depression is a risk factor for childhood obesity. Objectives To examine the influence of parental depression on child weight status, eating behaviours, and parental feeding practices during childhood obesity treatment. Methods Hundred and twenty eight children with obesity aged 4 to 6 years and their parents were randomized to a parent support program or to standard treatment. At baseline and after 12 months, children's heights and weights were measured. Parents reported levels of depression (Beck's Depression Inventory‐II), feeding practices (Child Feeding Questionnaire), and children's eating behaviors (Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire). Independent and dependent paired sample t‐tests and linear regressions were used to analyze data. Results After obesity treatment, mothers reported lower levels of depression, whereas fathers did not. No associations were found between parental level of depression and child weight status, or between baseline level of parental depression and feeding practices. Associations were found between baseline parental depression and children's food responsiveness (β = .03; P = .01; 95% CI [0.01, 0.05]), emotional overeating (β = .02; P = .02; 95% CI [0.004, 0.04]), and desire to drink (β = .02; P = .03; 95% CI [0.002, 0.04]) (adjusted for background variables). Conclusions Parental depression did not influence child weight status or parental feeding practices but was associated with obesity‐related child eating behaviors.

Association of a primary care‐based mobile food pantry with child body mass index: A propensity score matched cohort study

“…Because this study was set in paediatric primary care and had a relatively small sample size, we were unable to examine changes in parental BMI or perform a mediation analysis to mechanisms through which the Food FARMacia may have impacted a child's BMI z score. For example, parental depressive symptoms have been correlated with food insecurity, child's eating behaviours, and childhood obesity 16,50 . It is plausible that Food FARMacia‐driven reductions in household food insecurity resulted in changes in parental mental health, thus leading to changes in parental‐child interactions, such as improved feeding patterns or changes in the home food environment.…”

“…For example, parental depressive symptoms have been correlated with food insecurity, child's eating behaviours, and childhood obesity. 16,50 It is plausible that Food FARMacia-driven reductions in household insecurity resulted in changes in parental mental health, thus leading to changes in parental-child interactions, such as improved feeding patterns or changes in the home food environment.…”

Untitled

“…Moreover, even if therapy prevails, this can be impeded in the presence of undetected or untreated parental depression that may not be a treatment focus. 38,39 As well, some attention to the allied role of persistent or distressing stressful life events in childhood or even before the child is born, 40 as well as apparent increases in parental and teacher depression post COVID, 41 may need to be acknowledged to a higher degree in the future to avert any increasingly marked feelings of distress and their negative consequences, including stigmatization and emotional eating among vulnerable youth and their mothers. 42 Unfortunately, although childhood obesity or overweight has been identified as a significant attribute for more than a decade, 33,34 and the COVID-19 pandemic clearly compounded the overall health opportunities for youth, it is clear a much more concerted effort in multiple spheres is imperative in order to successfully avert both the onset of childhood obesity, as well as depression, and their bidirectional association, that could provoke life-long incurable health and social challenges.…”

Estrategias de socialización alimentaria en padres y madres de familias chilenas/Food socialization strategies in fathers and mothers of Chilean families

“…Para futuros estudios, se sugiere describir el significado que los hijos e hijas tienen de los alimentos proporcionados por sus padres, para observar la consistencia de los adultos con los hábitos alimenticios que transmiten. Además, si bien no se analizó en el presente trabajo, sería conveniente pensar en futuros estudios que incorporen la variable de salud mental de los padres y su influencia en las conductas alimentarias de sus hijos, ya que estudios recientes han relacionado el nivel de estrés en los padres y la presencia de depresión en las madres con comportamientos alimenticios poco saludables en los niños (Ek et al, 2021;Jang, Brown y Vang, 2021). Por lo cual, si consideramos que investigaciones han señalado el impacto de la pandemia de COVID 19 en la salud mental de los adultos, especialmente si son padres de niños pequeños (Neubauer, Schmidt, Kramer y Schmiedek, 2021), entonces se podría esperar que se afecten sus prácticas de socialización alimentaria (Jansen et al, 2021).…”