Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 20, 2025

Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil
06:48

Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil

Published on: July 29, 2020

4.9K

Changes in parental feeding practices and preschoolers' food intake following a randomized controlled childhood

Maria Somaraki1, Karin Eli2, Kimmo Sorjonen3

  • 1Department of Food Studies, Nutrition and Dietetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

Appetite
|May 25, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Parental feeding practices did not significantly change in preschool obesity treatment. However, specific feeding changes influenced child food intake, with some effects varying by treatment group.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern, particularly in preschool-aged children.
  • Parental involvement is key in early obesity treatment, but mechanisms of change remain unclear.
  • Understanding how parental feeding practices influence child food intake is crucial for effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate secondary outcomes of early childhood obesity treatment, focusing on changes in parental feeding practices and child food intake.
  • To explore the relationship between parental feeding practices and child food intake within different treatment modalities.
  • To determine if changes in feeding practices or food intake mediate weight loss in preschool children with obesity.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial (The More and Less study) involving 174 preschool children with obesity.
  • Three treatment arms: standard treatment (ST), parent group with boosters (PGB), and parent group without boosters (PGNB).
  • Parental feeding practices assessed using the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) and child food intake via a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) over four measurements.

Main Results:

  • No significant between-group differences were observed in parental feeding practices or child food intake over time.
  • Changes in specific parental feeding practices were associated with changes in child food intake.
  • Maternal restriction showed opposing effects on cookie/bun consumption depending on the treatment group (increased in PGNB, decreased in ST).

Conclusions:

  • This study found no evidence that changes in parental feeding practices or child food intake mediated weight loss in preschool obesity treatment.
  • While specific feeding practices influenced intake, their impact varied across treatment groups.
  • Future research should explore broader parenting practices and parent-child interactions as potential mediators of treatment outcomes.

Keywords:
Child eatingChild feeding questionnaireFamily-based treatmentParental feeding practicesRandomized controlled trial

More Related Videos

Palatable Western-style Cafeteria Diet as a Reliable Method for Modeling Diet-induced Obesity in Rodents09:10

Palatable Western-style Cafeteria Diet as a Reliable Method for Modeling Diet-induced Obesity in Rodents

Published on: November 1, 2019

11.3K
A Treatment Package without Escape Extinction to Address Food Selectivity04:23

A Treatment Package without Escape Extinction to Address Food Selectivity

Published on: August 21, 2015

11.9K

Related Concept Videos

Parentral Nutrition: Centeral and Peripheral Parental Nutrition01:27

Parentral Nutrition: Centeral and Peripheral Parental Nutrition

Parenteral Nutrition (PN) delivers essential nutrients directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the digestive system. It is commonly used for individuals with severe digestive disorders or conditions that prevent normal nutrient absorption.
PN can be administered through two primary routes:
1. Central Parenteral Nutrition (CPN):
CPN involves delivering a high concentration of nutrients through a large vein. This is typically achieved using a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) or,...
559
Regulation of Food Intake01:30

Regulation of Food Intake

Short-term regulation of food intake primarily involves neural signals from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, blood nutrient levels, and GI tract hormones. Communication between the gut and brain via vagal nerve fibers plays a significant role in evaluating the contents of the gut. Clinical studies have shown that protein ingestion produces a more prolonged response in these nerve fibers compared to an equivalent amount of glucose. Additionally, the activation of stretch receptors caused by GI...
2.2K
Obesity01:24

Obesity

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a numerical value derived from a person's weight and height, used to categorize individuals into weight ranges. It is calculated using the formula: weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Obesity is a health condition characterized by excessive accumulation of adipose tissue that poses health risks, often diagnosed with a BMI ≥ 30. This excess fat storage occurs when surplus dietary calories are converted into triglycerides and stored in...
1.1K