Abstract
BackgroundResearch has shown that parental feeding styles may influence children’s food consumption, energy intake, and ultimately, weight status. We examine this relationship, among recent immigrants to the US. Given that immigrant parents and children are at greater risk for becoming overweight/obese with increased time in the US, identification of risk factors for weight gain is critical.MethodsBaseline data was collected on 383 mother-child dyads enrolled in Live Well, a community-based, participatory, randomized controlled lifestyle intervention to prevent weight gain in recent immigrant mothers. Socio-demographic information together with heights and weights were collected for both mother and child. Acculturation, behavioral data, and responses to the Caregiver’s Feeding Styles Questionnaire (CFSQ) were also obtained from the mother.ResultsThe children’s average age was 6.2 ± 2.7 years, 58% male. Mothers had been in the country for an average of 6.0 ± 3.3 years, and are Brazilian (36%), Haitian (34%) and Latino (30%). Seventy-two percent of the mothers were overweight/obese, while 43% of the children were overweight/obese. Fifteen percent of mothers reported their feeding style as being high demanding/high responsive; 32% as being high demanding/low responsive; 34% as being low demanding/high responsive and 18% as being low demanding/low responsive. In bivariate analyses, feeding styles significantly differed by child BMIz-score, ethnic group, and mother’s perceived stress. In multiple linear regression, a low demanding/high responsive feeding style was found to be positively associated (ß = 0.56) with a higher child weight as compared to high demanding/high responsive, controlling for known covariates (p = 0.01).ConclusionsMost mothers report having a low demanding/high responsive feeding style, which is associated with higher child weight status in this diverse immigrant population. This finding adds to the growing literature that suggests this type of feeding style may be a risk factor for childhood obesity. Further research is needed to help understand the larger socio-cultural context and its influence on feeding dynamics among immigrant families and families of lower incomes. How parents establish a certain feeding style in their home country compared to when they move to the US “obesogenic” environment, should also be explored.
Highlights
Research has shown that parental feeding styles may influence children’s food consumption, energy intake, and weight status
Child Body mass index (BMI) z-score, perceived stress and ethnic group differed across feeding styles (Table 1)
Post hoc analysis revealed that mothers who expressed a low demanding/high responsive feeding style had children with a higher BMI z-score compared to the other feeding style groups (1.2 vs. 0.7 for high demanding/high responsive; 0.7 for high demanding/low responsive, p = 0.002)
Summary
Research has shown that parental feeding styles may influence children’s food consumption, energy intake, and weight status. Most of the literature describing this transition has focused on immigrant adults, immigrant children are at risk for becoming obese They face many of the same challenges as their parents when confronting the realities of a new culture and family food environment [9,10]. Upon arriving in the U.S, immigrants are immediately exposed to the U.S “obesogenic” environment This environment is characterized by the availability of inexpensive, energy-dense foods, limited opportunities for meal-oriented food preparation and for sufficient physical activity, all of which likely contributes to weight gain [2,3,4,5,11,12,13]. Parenting includes several different factors, parenting styles may play an important role in how children navigate the food environment
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