Caregiver’s feeding styles questionnaire ő new factors and correlates (808.4)

Abstract

Study objectives were to conduct exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of Caregiver’s Feeding Styles Questionnaire (CFSQ) and evaluate correlations between factors and maternal feeding practices, attitudes, and perceptions. Mothers (N = 144) were 43% minority race/ethnicity, 24% full‐time employed, 54% married, and 100% low income; children were < age 6 (51% male). EFA and reliability analyses revealed a 3‐factor solution: an 8‐item “extrinsic motivation” factor (α = .86) that included food and non‐food rewards and removing food and non‐food items; a 3‐item “positive food talk” factor (α = .66) that included asking questions about food, complimenting the child about eating, and making positive comments; and a 4‐item “feeding power assertion” (α = .68) factor that included physically struggling with child, spoonfeeding, and telling child to hurry. “Feeding power assertion” was correlated with concern about overweight, r = .25; perception of child weight, r = ‐.19; and modeling healthy eating, r = ‐.22; all ps < .05. “Extrinsic motivation” was related only to perception of child weight, r = ‐.27, p=.001. “Positive food talk” was related to overt and covert control, r = .31 and .20, and modeling of healthy eating, r = .18, all ps < .05. Results support previous findings on CFSQ and extend them by identifying the promotion of positive parent‐child conversations about feeding as a potential target for child obesity prevention.