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Continuity in primary school children's eating problems and the influence of parental feeding strategies

Annelies Matton1, Lien Goossens, Caroline Braet

  • 1Department of Developmental-, Personality- and Social Psychology, University of Ghent, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium. annelies.matton@ugent.be

Journal of Youth and Adolescence
|July 18, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Parental feeding practices influence children's eating behaviors. Maternal pressure can increase overeating, while paternal monitoring may decrease it, with gender-specific effects observed in children's eating problems.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Eating problems are common and persistent in children.
  • The impact of parental feeding practices on these eating problems is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the short-term continuity of eating problems in primary school children.
  • To determine the predictive value of parental feeding strategies on changes in these eating problems.

Main Methods:

  • Children (8-12 years) completed the Child Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (ChEDE-Q) at two time points, 6 months apart.
  • Parents completed the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) to assess feeding strategies.
  • Statistical analyses examined continuity and predictive relationships.

Main Results:

  • Existing overeating, restraint, and concerns predicted higher levels 6 months later.
  • Loss of control at baseline predicted lower levels 6 months later.
  • Maternal pressure and paternal monitoring interacted with child gender, influencing overeating changes.

Conclusions:

  • Parental feeding practices have both positive and negative effects on children's eating behaviors.
  • Mothers may have a greater influence on daughters' eating, and fathers on sons'.
  • Further research should consider diverse feeding strategies and eating problems across genders.

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