Abstract
BackgroundSnacking contributes to excessive energy intakes in children. Yet factors shaping child snacking are virtually unstudied. This study examines food parenting practices specific to child snacking among low-income caregivers.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted in English or Spanish with 60 low-income caregivers of preschool-aged children (18 non-Hispanic white, 22 African American/Black, 20 Hispanic; 92 % mothers). A structured interview guide was used to solicit caregivers’ definitions of snacking and strategies they use to decide what, when and how much snack their child eats. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using an iterative theory-based and grounded approach. A conceptual model of food parenting specific to child snacking was developed to summarize the findings and inform future research.ResultsCaregivers’ descriptions of food parenting practices specific to child snacking were consistent with previous models of food parenting developed based on expert opinion [1, 2]. A few noteworthy differences however emerged. More than half of participants mentioned permissive feeding approaches (e.g., my child is the boss when it comes to snacks). As a result, permissive feeding was included as a higher order feeding dimension in the resulting model. In addition, a number of novel feeding approaches specific to child snacking emerged including child-centered provision of snacks (i.e., responding to a child’s hunger cues when making decisions about snacks), parent unilateral decision making (i.e., making decisions about a child’s snacks without any input from the child), and excessive monitoring of snacks (i.e., monitoring all snacks provided to and consumed by the child). The resulting conceptual model includes four higher order feeding dimensions including autonomy support, coercive control, structure and permissiveness and 20 sub-dimensions. Conclusions: This study formulates a language around food parenting practices specific to child snacking, identifies dominant constructs, and proposes a conceptual framework to guide future research.
Highlights
Behavioral aspects of energy imbalance that lead to obesity in young children are multi-factorial, but remain poorly characterized
But the tears went away. (White father of a 3-yearold boy). This qualitative study examined food parenting practices specific to child snacking among low-income nonHispanic white, African American and Hispanic caregivers who were predominantly mothers
Parents’ descriptions of their snacking-related food parenting practices were consistent with what has been previously observed for food parenting practices in general [1, 34, 35, 38] and specific to child snacking as reported in the Delphi study [2]
Summary
Behavioral aspects of energy imbalance that lead to obesity in young children are multi-factorial, but remain poorly characterized. Snacking has been identified as a potential contributor to excessive energy intakes because children in the United States (US) snack more frequently and consume greater energy from snacks than in past decades [3]. The contribution of snacks to daily energy intake is not trivial; US preschoolers consume approximately 27 % of their daily energy from snacks [3]. Snacking represents a key source of “empty” calories, which offer few nutrients beyond energy and are seen as the root cause of dietary imbalances [7]. Salty snacks, and sweetened beverages are top snacks consumed by US children and represent foods high in solid fats and added sugars (SoFAS) [8]. Factors that shape young children’s snacking are virtually unstudied. Snacking contributes to excessive energy intakes in children. Factors shaping child snacking are virtually unstudied. This study examines food parenting practices specific to child snacking among low-income caregivers
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