Relations Between Parental Mealtime Practices and Children's Food Intake

Abstract

The food intake of children aged 3-7 years was related to selected parental and child mealtime behaviours from video recordings of meals in 50 Swedish families and a 7-day weighed record of dietary intake from 39 of these. The children's mean intakes of fat and sucrose were relatively high (23% of energy from sugar-rich snacks) and their energy intake and number of meals were evenly distributed over the day. No relationship between energy intake and overweight was found. Children spend 50% of the total mealtime eating. One-third of all child mealtime behaviours were verbal. Most parental behaviours were verbal with negative, non-eating statements about the child being very common and negatively correlated with child energy intake. The child's energy intake was positively correlated with the child taking food on recommendation by the parent. The results indicate parental influences on children's eating which may have implications for the development of food preferences and overweight in childhood.