Socioeconomic Position and Picky Eating Behavior Predict Disparate Weight Trajectories in Infancy.

Amy T Galloway,Paul Watson,Suzanne Pitama,Claire V Farrow

doi:10.3389/fendo.2018.00528

Abstract

Infant weight gain has long-term implications for the establishment of overall health. We examined whether socioeconomic position (SEP), the use of pressure as a feeding practice, and picky eating relate to changes infant in weight-for-length (WFL). A modified developmental design was used to examine whether current levels of child picky eating, parental use of pressure, and SEP were associated with changes in WFL during infancy. Health providers distributed survey packets during routine well-child visits made in the homes of families with young children in New Zealand (n = 193). Primary caregivers of young children provided their child's current level of picky eating, their use of pressure, and their SEP. They also reported their child's professionally-measured WFL from birth, 8, 15, and 21 months of age. A multi-level modeling analysis yielded an interaction between SEP and picky eating in predicting infant weight change over time. Children who had a low SEP and were not picky eaters were on the highest WFL trajectory and children who had a low SEP and were picky eaters were lowest on the WFL trajectory. A main effect revealed that higher levels of parental pressure predicted lower WFL in infants at each age, but did not interact with SEP or picky eating. Findings from this study indicate that the combination of eating behavior and SEP are associated with differential infant growth patterns. These results suggest that eating behavior and SEP should be included in the development of interventions designed to achieve healthy weight during childhood.

Highlights

The period representing the transition from milk feeding to independent eating has been scarcely studied with regard to infant eating behavior, growth, and parental feeding practices, yet the development of infant weight status has implications for the long-term physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional well-being across the globe [1]
This study shows that among low-socioeconomic position (SEP) infants living in a highincome country, those reported to be most picky had the lowest WFL over time and those reported to be the least picky had the highest WFL over time
Parental pressure to eat was associated with lower child WFL but pressure to eat did not moderate the impact of SEP on weight change over time

Summary

Introduction

The period representing the transition from milk feeding to independent eating has been scarcely studied with regard to infant eating behavior, growth, and parental feeding practices, yet the development of infant weight status has implications for the long-term physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional well-being across the globe [1]. Food security is likely to be a factor that determines the impact of SEP on child weight, there are several other potential factors that moderate the relationship between SEP and child weight gain or loss Two such factors that we explore in the present study are eating behavior, picky eating, and the parental feeding practice of pressuring a child to eat. In New Zealand, it is customary for a nurse to visit all infants in their home for wellness checkups after birth and at 8, 15, and 21 months of age During this visit, the nurse measures the infant and records height and weight information in a booklet kept by parents called the Tamariki Ora: Well Child Health Book. Parents were asked to enter the weight and height information on the survey that had been previously recorded in the booklet

Methods

Results

Conclusion