Parental use of restrictive feeding practices and child BMI z-score. A 3-year prospective cohort study

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Nutrition Science
• Child Psychology

Background:

• Parental feeding practices significantly influence child weight trajectories.
• Restrictive feeding, a common parental strategy, has a debated impact on child body mass index (BMI).
• Understanding age-specific effects is crucial for effective weight management interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the longitudinal association between parental feeding restriction and child BMI z-score.
• To determine if this association differs between younger (5-6 years) and older (10-12 years) children.
• To investigate the influence of covariates like maternal BMI and education on this relationship.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study using data from 204 children aged 5-6 and 188 aged 10-12.
• Baseline Child Feeding Questionnaire assessed parental restriction (2002/3).
• Child BMI z-score calculated from measured height/weight at baseline and 3-year follow-up (2005/6), analyzed using linear regression.

Main Results:

• Baseline feeding restriction was significantly associated with higher child BMI z-score at 3-year follow-up in younger children (5-6 years).
• This association remained consistent after adjusting for baseline BMI, maternal BMI, education, and child sex.
• No significant association was found between feeding restriction and follow-up BMI z-score in older children (10-12 years).

Conclusions:

• Restrictive feeding practices may be protective against unhealthy weight gain in younger children.
• The impact of feeding restriction on child BMI appears to be age-dependent, with limited effect in older children.
• Findings challenge the assumption that restriction universally leads to increased child weight, supporting a nuanced approach based on age.