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Updated: Jun 7, 2026
04:56
Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors
Published on: January 25, 2018
Associations between children's appetitive traits and maternal feeding practices
Laura Webber1, Lucy Cooke, Claire Hill
1Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association
|November 2, 2010
Summary
Maternal feeding practices like restriction and pressure to eat significantly influence child eating behaviors. Understanding this interaction is key for developing targeted interventions to manage obesogenic eating patterns in children.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Nutritional Science
- Behavioral Pediatrics
Background:
- Child eating behaviors are complex, influenced by genetic and environmental factors.
- Maternal feeding practices are hypothesized to shape children's eating tendencies.
- Understanding these dynamics is crucial for addressing childhood obesity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the associations between maternal feeding practices (restriction, pressure to eat) and child eating behaviors.
- To test if maternal restriction correlates with child food approach tendencies.
- To examine if maternal pressure to eat correlates with child food avoidance tendencies.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the Physical Exercise and Appetite in Children Study (PEACHES).
- 531 families with 7- to 9-year-old children were invited; 405 participated.
- Maternal feeding practices and child eating behaviors were assessed using validated questionnaires.
Main Results:
- Maternal restriction was significantly associated with child food responsiveness (P<0.001).
- Maternal pressure to eat was linked to child satiety responsiveness (P<0.001), slowness (P=0.03), and fussiness (P=0.01).
- Child enjoyment of food correlated with lower maternal pressure to eat (P=0.01), independent of BMI and demographics.
Conclusions:
- Child eating behaviors are significantly influenced by maternal feeding strategies.
- An interactional perspective is vital for developing effective interventions for childhood eating behaviors.
- Targeted parental guidance can help manage obesogenic eating behaviors in children.
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