Abstract
This study explored associations between children’s appetites and maternal feeding practices. The participants, 614 parents of 3- to 6-year-old children from kindergartens in Tokyo, Japan, completed self-administered questionnaires. The children’s appetites were measured using the Enjoyment of Food (EF) and Food Responsiveness (FR) scales of the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. Using cluster analysis, we examined three appetite patterns (“both low,” “high EF and low FR,” and “both high”). The three appetite patterns were associated with children’s obesity index. The “both low” pattern was associated with the highest maternal pressure to eat. The “high EF and low FR” patterns were related to an established snack time. The “both high” pattern was associated with higher maternal instrumental feeding compared with the “high EF and low FR” types. The results of this study will facilitate the development of targeted interventions and better parental guidance on maternal feeding practices and their association with children’s eating behaviours.
Highlights
Excessive eating and other issues related to excessive weight have recently emerged as problems in the world [1]
The results showed that high Enjoyment of Food (EF) was associated with high pressure to eat, and Food Responsiveness (FR) was associated with restrictions on eating
Our results showed that mothers with children in the “high EF and low FR” group did not use high pressure to eat, used instrumental feeding, and fed snacks appropriately
Summary
Excessive eating and other issues related to excessive weight have recently emerged as problems in the world [1]. Recent data indicate that 10% of Japanese children are overweight. Previous studies have shown that children’s appetites are associated with their weight status [3,4]. To measure children’s appetites, Wardle et al (2001) developed the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ), which included scales assessing such positive appetite traits as Enjoyment of Food (EF) and Food Responsiveness (FR) [5]. Recent studies have compared children’s weight status according to each appetite trait on the CEBQ and have found EF and FR to be positively associated with children’s weight status [6,7,8]. Webber et al (2009) demonstrated that early assessment of appetite traits could be used as an indicator of susceptibility to weight gain [8]. It is important to examine the research on children’s appetites and to study factors associated with children’s appetites
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