Predictors of fruit and vegetable intake in low-income and racially diverse preschoolers: does parental feeding style matter?

Abstract

Diets rich in fruit and vegetables (FV) are associated with favorable public health outcomes, including lower prevalence of cancer and obesity. However, children’s FV consumption in many Western countries fails to meet the minimum recommendations. Because parental behaviors influence children’s diet from birth, it is important to examine potential interactions between taste preferences and parental behaviors on FV consumption in early childhood. This study tested the moderating effect of an authoritative feeding style on the link between child’s FV taste preferences and FV intake. Racially/ethnically diverse, low-income parents of 3–5-year-old children were recruited for the study. Parents completed an interviewer-assisted FV food frequency questionnaire and a survey on sociodemographic and other characteristics of the child/parent/family. Hierarchal linear regression models tested the main and interactive effects of taste preferences and authoritative feeding style on children’s FV frequency intake, controlling for known covariates, including race/ethnicity and household availability. A total of 281 parents participated in the study, with 16% being authoritative feeders. Authoritative feeding style did not interact with child taste preference to predict fruit intake (β = 0.084; p = 0.98) or vegetable intake (β = −2.908; p = 0.24). Child’s taste preference, after controlling for home availability, was the strongest predictor of FV intake in the sample (p < 0.05). Nutrition education efforts targeting FV promotion in low-income families should focus on strategies that help parents increase children’s FV taste preferences as early in life as possible.