Associations among parental feeding styles and children's food intake in families with limited incomes

Sharon L Hoerr,Sheryl O Hughes,Jennifer O Fisher,Yan Liu,Richard M Shewchuk,Theresa A Nicklas

doi:10.1186/1479-5868-6-55

Abstract

BackgroundAlthough general parenting styles and restrictive parental feeding practices have been associated with children's weight status, few studies have examined the association between feeding styles and proximal outcomes such as children's food intake, especially in multi-ethnic families with limited incomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of parental feeding styles and young children's evening food intake in a multiethnic sample of families in Head Start.MethodsParticipants were 715 Head Start children and their parents from Texas and Alabama representing three ethnic groups: African-American (43%), Hispanic (29%), and White (28%). The Caregivers Feeding Styles Questionnaire (Hughes) was used to characterize authoritative, authoritarian (referent), indulgent or uninvolved feeding styles. Food intake in several food groups was calculated from 3 days of dietary recalls for the child for evening food intakes from 3 PM until bedtime.ResultsCompared to children of authoritarian parents, intakes of fruits, juice and vegetables were lowest among children of indulgent or uninvolved parents (1.77 ± 0.09 vs 1.45 ± 0.09 and 1.42 ± 0.11 cups) as were intakes of dairy foods (0.84 ± 0.05 vs 0.67 ± 0.05 and 0.63+0.06 cups), respectively.ConclusionFindings suggest that permissive parent feeding styles like indulgent or uninvolved relate negatively to children's intake of nutrient-rich foods fruit, 100% fruit juice, vegetables and dairy foods from 3 PM until bedtime.

Highlights

General parenting styles and restrictive parental feeding practices have been associated with children's weight status, few studies have examined the association between feeding styles and proximal outcomes such as children's food intake, especially in multi-ethnic families with limited incomes
The BMI Z scores of these Head Start children were high with children of indulgent parents tending to have the highest BMI Z scores and children of authoritarian parents, the lowest
Findings suggest that permissive feeding styles like indulgent or uninvolved were associated with lower children's intakes of nutrient-rich foods like fruit, 100% juice, vegetables and dairy in the afternoon and evening

Summary

Introduction

General parenting styles and restrictive parental feeding practices have been associated with children's weight status, few studies have examined the association between feeding styles and proximal outcomes such as children's food intake, especially in multi-ethnic families with limited incomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of parental feeding styles and young children's evening food intake in a multiethnic sample of families in Head Start. One path involves a series of studies (laboratory, cross-sectional, and longitudinal) on a circumscribed set of parental feeding practices (restriction, monitoring, and pressure to eat). Restriction, in particular, a highly controlling feeding practice, has been consistently associated with overweight and weight gain in children across multiple studies [7,8,9]

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