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Maternal feeding practices, child eating behaviour and body mass index in preschool-aged children: a prospective

Jane E Gregory1, Susan J Paxton, Anna M Brozovic

  • 1School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia. susan.paxton@latrobe.edu.au.

The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
|June 29, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Maternal feeding practices influence young children's eating behavior, not weight status. Modeling healthy eating reduced fussiness and increased food interest, while pressure to eat lowered interest.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Science

Background:

  • Parental feeding practices are linked to children's eating habits and weight.
  • Longitudinal studies are crucial to understand these connections over time.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the longitudinal associations between maternal feeding practices and child eating behavior.
  • To investigate the impact of maternal feeding on child body mass index (BMI) over 12 months.

Main Methods:

  • 156 mothers of 2-4 year olds completed questionnaires on feeding practices and child eating behavior.
  • Maternal questionnaires were repeated 12 months later, including child height and weight.
  • Regression analyses assessed longitudinal relationships between feeding practices, eating behavior, and BMI.

Main Results:

  • Modeling healthy eating prospectively predicted lower child food fussiness and higher interest in food.
  • Pressure to eat predicted lower child interest in food; restriction did not predict changes in eating behavior.
  • Maternal feeding practices did not prospectively predict child food responsiveness or BMI.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal feeding practices significantly influence young children's eating behavior over a 12-month period.
  • These practices did not demonstrate a short-term predictive effect on child weight status (BMI).
Abstract

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