Relationship between parental feeding styles and eating behaviours of Dutch children aged 6–7

Abstract

The present study assessed the relationship between parental feeding styles and dietary intake behaviours of Dutch children aged 6–7. Associations between feeding styles and dietary behaviours of the parents were also examined. We translated the validated ‘Parental Feeding Style Questionnaire’ and evaluated its factor structure. A cross-sectional survey was completed by one of the parents of 135 children. Results indicated considerable similarity of factor structure, internal reliability and between-subscale correlations with the original instrument. The parental feeding dimensions of ‘instrumental feeding’ (i.e. using food as a reward) and ‘emotional feeding’ (i.e. feeding in response to children's emotional distress) were positively related to children's snacking behaviour. The feeding style ‘encouragement to eat’ was negatively associated with children's snacking behaviour. Various feeding styles were found to be related to parental dietary behaviours. Findings indicate the importance of acknowledging parental feeding styles in future research efforts as well as in the development of family-based interventions promoting healthy eating habits among children.