Assessing the Moderating Effect of Parental Feeding Styles on the Association Between Satiety Responsiveness and Child BMI Z-Scores in Chilean Preschoolers Aged 3–5 Years

Abstract

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the moderating effect of feeding styles on the association between satiety responsiveness and child BMI z-scores in children aged 3-to-5 in Santiago, Chile. Methods Participants were recruited from childcare centers serving low- and middle-income families in 2017 and 2018. During a face-to-face individual interview, the Caregiver Feedings styles Questionnaire and food responsiveness subscale of the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire were applied to parents. Weight and height were obtained for children and caregivers. Multiple linear regressions were conducted to test the moderating effect of feeding styles on the relationship between satiety responsiveness and child BMI z-scores. Results 92.5% of caregivers were mothers, the parent BMI was 29.2 (SD = 5.7). No feeding style moderated the association between satiety responsiveness and BMI z-score Satiety responsiveness had a significant main effect on child BMI z score. None of the feeding styles was significantly associated with child BMI z-score. Only satiety responsiveness was significantly associated with child BMI z score (B = –.32, P < 0.05) after controlling for parent BMI (B = .047, P < .05). This model accounted for 12% of the variance of the child BMI z-score. 1.1% of the children were underweight, 22.4% normal, 37.9% overweight and 38.5% obese Conclusions Parent perceptions of higher satiety responsiveness suggests an association with lower child BMI z-scores. This study suggests that how children respond to food may play an important role in explaining child weight status. than the parent's or caregiver style of feeding in determining a child's weight status. Further research is required to discard interaction effects between appetite traits and feeding styles to explain child weight status. Funding Sources National Comission of scientific Research and Technology (CONICYT) and its Becas Chile program 2016 (#72,110,561) Center of Latin American Studies (CLACS) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.