Childcare Staff Feeding Practices Associations With Children’s Willingness to Try New Foods

Abstract

ObjectivesTo examine the associations between childcare staff feeding practices and preschool children’s willingness to try new foods (WTNF). MethodsParticipants included children (n = 460), ages 3–5 years, and childcare staff (n = 91) recruited from childcare centers in Maryland participating in baseline assessment of a randomized controlled trial to evaluate strategies to promote the development of healthy eating behaviors. Staff feeding practices were measured using the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire (CFPQ) adapted to the childcare setting. Children’s WTNF was evaluated by offering 6 novel and 3 familiar foods during a food tasting activity administered in the childcare center. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were used to evaluate the factor structure of the adapted version of the CFPQ, and to identify modified factor structures. Logistic regressions assessed the association between childcare staff feeding practices (i.e., average staff feeding factor scores in a classroom) and children’s WTNF (dichotomized as high: tried ≥ 3 novel foods vs. low: tried < 3 novel foods), adjusting for child sex and age and clustering in the childcare center. ResultsA revised 7-factor, 32-item model, including indulgent, restriction for health, monitoring, pressure, environment, healthy eating guidance, and encourage balance and variety, was identified to assess childcare staff feeding practices. Children under the care of staff members who reported more frequent use of indulgent feeding practices in the classroom had 2.13 (95% CI: 1.04 - 4.37) greater odds of demonstrating high WTNF compared to children under the care of staff members who reported lower use of this feeding practice, with no associations among other feeding practices. ConclusionsChildcare staff use of food to regulate children’s behaviors and/or emotions (i.e., indulgent feeding) was related to children’s greater willingness to try new foods in childcare settings. Understanding the mechanisms underlying childcare staff-child feeding can inform interventions to promote healthy eating behaviors among young children. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the direction of effect between staff’s indulgent feeding practices and children’s willingness to try new foods. Funding SourcesNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.