Relationship between parental feeding styles and eating behaviours of Dutch children aged 6-7
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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors
Published on: January 25, 2018
Ester F C Sleddens1, Stef P J Kremers, Nanne K De Vries
1Department of Health Promotion, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, PO Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Ester.Sleddens@gvo.unimaas.nl
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.
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