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Maternal feeding practices in relation to dietary intakes and BMI in 5 year-olds in a multi-ethnic Asian population

Phaik Ling Quah1, Ginanjar Syuhada1, Lisa R Fries2

  • 1Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, Singapore, Singapore.

Plos One
|September 19, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Maternal role modeling of healthy eating positively impacts preschooler diets, increasing vegetable and whole grain intake while reducing unhealthy snacks. Restrictive feeding practices, however, are linked to higher body mass index (BMI) in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Public Health
  • Maternal Health

Background:

  • Limited understanding of maternal feeding practices' impact on preschooler diet and BMI in Asia.
  • Preschool years are critical for establishing lifelong dietary habits and healthy weight trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate associations between maternal feeding practices and dietary intake and BMI in Asian preschoolers.
  • Utilize data from the GUSTO (Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes) cohort for cross-sectional analysis.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional analysis of 511 mothers and their 5-year-old children.
  • Maternal feeding practices assessed using the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire (CFPQ).
  • Child dietary intake and BMI z-scores analyzed using semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and direct measurements.

Main Results:

  • Mothers modeling healthy food intake were associated with higher vegetable and whole grain consumption and lower sweet snack/fast-food intake in children.
  • Allowing child control in feeding was linked to lower vegetable/whole grain intake and higher sweet snack/fast-food intake.
  • Food restriction for weight was associated with higher BMI z-scores, while pressure tactics were linked to lower BMI z-scores.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal role modeling is crucial for promoting healthy dietary patterns in preschoolers.
  • Certain feeding practices, like allowing excessive child control or using pressure, may negatively impact children's diet and BMI.
  • Targeting maternal feeding behaviors can be an effective public health strategy to improve child nutrition and prevent obesity.
Abstract

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