Is the Prospective Link between Parental Stress and Adolescent Snack Intake or Weight Outcome Mediated by Food Parenting Practices?

Maaike Koning,Junilla K Larsen,Natascha Notten,Jacqueline M Vink,Carry Renders,Rob Eisinga

doi:10.3390/nu13082485

Abstract

Parental stress may influence adolescents’ food intake and weight development over time, however, it is largely unknown why this is the case. This study examines whether the link between parental stress and adolescents’ snack intake and weight outcome is mediated by food parenting practices (FPPs). Participants included 400 parents and their adolescent children (aged 12–16) who completed questionnaires. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used to assess parental general stress levels and the Adolescent Food Parenting Questionnaire (AFPQ) to assess FPPs. Multiple mediation analyses with parallel mediators were performed, with parental general stress as an independent variable and adolescent snack intake and zBMI as dependent variables. FPPs (autonomy support, coercive control, modeling, healthy structure, snack structure) were entered as mediators in the model, adjusted for covariates. Autonomy support mediated the link between parental general stress and adolescent savory snack and sweet snack intake at follow-up. Parents who reported higher stress levels provided less autonomy support, which resulted in more adolescent snacking. None of the other FPPs mediated any link between parental stress and intake or weight outcome, and no significant indirect effects were observed with zBMI as an outcome variable. Further research should replicate this finding and may further examine underlying mechanisms.

Highlights

Adolescence is characterized as being one of the most complex transitions in the lifespan
We found that autonomy support mediated the association between parental general stress at baseline and adolescent savory snack and sweet snack intake at follow-up one year to one and a half years later
We hypothesized that parental stress would be associated with less beneficial food parenting practices (FPPs) that, in turn, would be associated with snacking behaviors and a higher zBMI in adolescents. In line with this hypothesis, we found that parents with higher general stress levels showed lower autonomy support, which preceded the development of greater savory snack and sweet snack intake one year to one and a half years later in adolescents

Summary

Introduction

Adolescence is characterized as being one of the most complex transitions in the lifespan. Physical, developmental, and social changes occur that can affect eating behaviors and nutritional health, making this a vulnerable period for overweight development, a critical public health issue, a critical public health issue [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. In the transition from childhood to adolescence, dietary quality and physical activity generally decline and unhealthy dietary and sedentary habits are formed [1]. Fruit, vegetable, and milk consumption decreases [1], whereas the consumption of soft drinks and energy-dense snacks increases [1,2,3]. Snacks have been defined as foods eaten between meals and are typically identified as nutrient-poor and energy-dense (i.e., sweets, cookies, chips, sugar-sweetened beverages).

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