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Family functioning mediates the relationship between child behavior problems and parent feeding practices in youth

Jennifer L Warnick1, Sarah E Stromberg2, Kendra M Krietsch3

  • 1Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.

Translational Behavioral Medicine
|May 17, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Child behavior problems and poor family functioning are linked to unhealthy parental feeding practices in children with overweight or obesity. Interventions should address these factors to improve child nutrition and health behaviors.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Family Studies
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Parental feeding practices significantly influence children's health behaviors, particularly concerning childhood obesity.
  • Understanding factors affecting parental feeding is crucial given the high prevalence of pediatric overweight and obesity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how family functioning influences the relationship between child behavior problems and parental feeding practices.
  • To test the hypothesis that family dysfunction mediates the link between child behavior issues and unhealthy feeding behaviors.

Main Methods:

  • The study involved 220 rural parents of school-aged children diagnosed with overweight or obesity.
  • Data collected included the McMaster Family Assessment Device, Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and Child Feeding Questionnaire.
  • Mediation models analyzed the impact of youth behavioral problems (CBCL) on parental feeding practices, with family functioning as the mediator.

Main Results:

  • Family functioning significantly mediated the relationship between child behavior problems and parental responsibility for child eating.
  • Family functioning also mediated the association between child behavior problems and parental monitoring of child eating.
  • Increased child behavior problems correlated with poorer family functioning, leading to reduced parental monitoring and less responsibility-taking in feeding.

Conclusions:

  • Child behavior problems and poor family functioning act synergistically, posing a risk for unhealthy parental feeding practices in children with overweight or obesity.
  • Future longitudinal research should explore these dynamics.
  • Behavioral interventions for pediatric obesity should consider family functioning and child behavior as potential barriers to effective parental feeding strategies.

Keywords:
Health behaviorsObesityRural

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