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Parental influence on children's early eating environments and obesity risk: implications for prevention

S L Anzman1, B Y Rollins, L L Birch

  • 1The Center for Childhood Obesity Research, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.

International Journal of Obesity (2005)
|March 3, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Early life interventions, including prenatal and postnatal periods, show promise for preventing childhood obesity. Focusing on parental feeding practices and behaviors offers a new strategy for effective obesity prevention.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Current childhood obesity prevention strategies targeting school-age children and adolescents have yielded limited success.
  • Early life stages (prenatal, suckling, diet transition) exhibit high plasticity and parental influence, presenting unique intervention opportunities.
  • Persistent effects of early environments on eating behaviors and obesity risk underscore the need for early interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence on early environmental influences on children's eating behaviors and obesity risk.
  • To highlight the impact of parental feeding practices and behaviors on child outcomes.
  • To advocate for experimental research on early life interventions for childhood obesity prevention.

Main Methods:

  • Review of observational and experimental evidence.
  • Analysis of parental feeding practices and behaviors.
  • Identification of critical early developmental periods for intervention.

Main Results:

  • Early life environments significantly shape eating behaviors and long-term obesity risk.
  • Parental feeding practices and parental role modeling are key environmental factors.
  • The early years represent a critical window for effective obesity prevention.

Conclusions:

  • Interventions during the prenatal and early postnatal periods are crucial for childhood obesity prevention.
  • Parents are central figures and potential agents of change in early preventive strategies.
  • Further experimental research is needed to validate early life interventions targeting parental factors for obesity prevention.

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