Abstract
Objective: A four-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in Victoria, Australia, previously evaluated parent-report outcomes following Confident Body, Confident Child: a program for parents to promote healthful eating patterns and positive body image in pre-schoolers. This exploratory study evaluated data from children of parents in the trial at 18 months follow-up. Method: Participants were 89 children (58 girls, 31 boys) of parents across all RCT arms (group A: Confident Body, Confident Child (CBCC) resource + workshop, n = 27; group B: CBCC resource only, n = 26; group C: nutrition booklet, n = 18; group D: wait-list control, n = 18). Children’s eating patterns, body image and weight bias were assessed via play-based interview. Results: Children of CBCC parents reported higher body esteem. Children of nutrition booklet parents reported stronger weight bias. Children of CBCC workshop parents reported lower External Eating. Discussion: This exploratory study suggests that CBCC may promote healthy eating patterns and child body image 18 months after parents receive the intervention.
Highlights
Research examining body satisfaction and unhealthy eating patterns, as well as the related issue of weight bias, increasingly suggests that the foundations of these problems are established in early childhood [1,2,3]
We explored eating patterns, body image and weight bias in children whose parents had or had not received the Confident Body, Confident Child (CBCC) resource in a four-arm randomized controlled trial
A one-way between-groups ANOVA indicated that there were no differences between intervention groups on child age (F (3, 87) = 1.77, p = 0.16) or BMI-for-age z-score (BMIz) (F (3, 86) = 1.47, p = 0.23)
Summary
Research examining body satisfaction and unhealthy eating patterns, as well as the related issue of weight bias, increasingly suggests that the foundations of these problems are established in early childhood [1,2,3]. We explored eating patterns, body image and weight bias in children whose parents had or had not received the Confident Body, Confident Child (CBCC) resource in a four-arm randomized controlled trial. The initial trial was designed to gather data from parents only to establish program efficacy in changing parental knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. A post-hoc study was designed to gather data from children via play-based interview, 18 months after parents received their baseline measurement
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