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Connections between parental eating attitudes and children's meagre eating: questionnaire findings

S Saarilehto1, S Keskinen, H Lapinleimu

  • 1Cardiorespiratory Research Unit, University of Turku, Finland.

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|May 3, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Parental eating habits influence children's eating behaviors. A study found that parents' enjoyment of food, snacking, and weight management influenced their children's picky eating. This highlights the importance of parental role modeling in child nutrition.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Nutrition Science
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Childhood eating problems, such as picky eating, are common and can have long-term health implications.
  • Parental eating habits and attitudes are hypothesized to play a significant role in shaping children's dietary behaviors.
  • Understanding this relationship can inform interventions aimed at improving children's nutrition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between parental eating habits and attitudes and problematic, meagre eating in young children.
  • To determine if specific parental eating behaviors predict persistent eating problems in children.
  • To explore the influence of both maternal and paternal eating patterns on child eating behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study involving 397 children and their parents.
  • Parental eating behaviors assessed via questionnaires at child's 13 months of age.
  • Children's eating problems recorded by parents at 13 months and 5 years; child anthropometrics measured at both ages.

Main Results:

  • A significant association was found between parental and children's eating habits.
  • Maternal factors like low enjoyment of eating, frequent snacking, and not eating when hungry predicted children's picky eating.
  • Paternal difficulty in maintaining ideal weight also predicted persistent meagre eating in children.

Conclusions:

  • Parental eating habits and attitudes are reflected in the eating behaviors of young children.
  • Maternal and paternal eating patterns significantly influence the development of children's eating problems.
  • Interventions targeting parental eating behaviors may be effective in addressing childhood picky eating.
Abstract

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