P134 - Toddler Caregiver Responses to Novel Food Acceptance and Rejection

Abstract

Background (Background, Rationale, Prior Research, and/or Theory): Parent responses to toddler hunger and satiety influence eating behavior development. However, little is known about parent responses to general food acceptance and rejection. Objective: Describe the associations between parent responses to toddler (12–36 months) food acceptance and rejection, feeding practices, and toddler eating behaviors. Study Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention: In this cross-sectional observation study, parents of toddlers were recruited from the community. Participants recorded one family meal with a new food, in their home, and completed the Toddler Feeding Behavior (Hurley et al., 2013) and the Toddler-Parent Mealtime Behavior (Horodynski et al., 2008) questionnaires. Outcome Measures and Analysis: Trained coders identified eight parent responses (i.e. reward, validate, encourage, non-judgment, coercion, indulge, punish, model) following toddler food acceptance (i.e. eating a bite) and rejection (e.g. spitting out, pushing away) episodes. Kruskal Wallis analyses tested differences in the eight parent responses across toddler age groups (12–18 months, 19–24 months, 25–30 months, and 31–36 months). Spearman Rho analyses tested the associations between the eight parent responses and feeding practices and toddler eating behaviors. Results: 40 primarily white (73%) mothers (100%) from middle socioeconomic conditions (75% college educated, 70% earn >$50,000) participated. Parent use of rewards (P = .01), validations (P < .01), and modeling (P = .03) differed by toddler age. Reward responses were related to parent centered feeding (r = .32, P < .05) and to toddler picky eating (r = -.36, P < .05). Validating responses were related to parent socialization at meals (r = .32, P < .05). Coercive responses were related to TV watching during meals (r = .44, P < .01). Toddler food rejection was related to reward responses (r = -.45, P < .01), coercive responses (r = .47, P < .01), parent centered feeding (r = -.38, P < .05), forceful feeding (r = .40, P < .05), and toddler picky eating (r = .55, P < .001). Conclusions and Implications. Parent responses to toddler food acceptance and rejection were related to feeding practices and toddler eating behaviors. Research should determine whether changes in parent responses may influence toddler eating behaviors. Funding: University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.