Parental education and immigrant background status predict child eating behavior in a population-based study of 876 families with 4-years-olds in Sweden.

Abstract

Subscales of the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ), the most used assessment of children eating behaviors worldwide, are predictive of pediatric obesity. This population-based study has examined the independent contributions of parental BMI, education, and country of origin to child CEBQ subscales scores. Mothers ( n = 876) to 4-year-olds (48% girls) from Sweden’s most third largest city (Malmö) filled out the CEBQ and a demographic questionnaire. The families were recruited from the population registry. Parent’s education (60% ⩾12 yrs of school), BMI (31% with BMI ⩾25) and country of origin (43% born abroad) resembled well the Malmö population. Multiple linear regression models were developed for each subscale to identify independent predictors of variance. In the final models for Emotional OverEating/Food Responsiveness and Desire to Drink the significant predictors were mother’s and child’s BMI as well as parental education and immigrant background, which explained between 7% and 11% of variance for each subscale (all p < 0.001). For Satiety Responsiveness and Slowness in Eating only parental immigrant background and child’s BMI were identified as significant predictors explaining 6.2% resp. 6.4% of variance ( p = 0.004 and p < 0.001). In sum, the results of this study demonstrate that obesity related eating patterns in preschoolers are associated with parental characteristics such as education and immigrant background.