Is Nutrition Assistance Program Participation or Food Security Status Associated with Parental Feeding Style or Child Body Mass Index

Abstract

This pilot study including parents of 3‐5 year old children investigated 1) the association of household food security status with parental feeding style, 2) the association of nutrition assistance program participation with parental feeding style and, 3) the association of nutrition assistance program participation and/or food security status with child body mass index (BMI). Low income parent dyads (n=52) participated in individual interviews including the United States Department of Agriculture's Household Food Security Questionnaire, Caregiver Feeding Style, and a demographic questionnaire. Height and weight were measured and BMI z‐scores (child) were calculated. Linear and multinomial logistic regressions were conducted. Food security scores of mothers and fathers were not associated with parental feeding style. Father's participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was associated with an increased likelihood of having an uninvolved feeding style (B=.90, OR=6.0, p=0.05). While participation in nutrition assistance or education programs was not directly associated with child weight, mothers' authoritarian feeding style and participation in SNAP (β=.44, p=0.03) was positively associated with children's BMI z‐score. These data suggest that the associations among food security status, parental feeding style, and participation in nutrition assistance programs are complex but potentially associated with childhood obesity risk.