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Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors
Published on: January 25, 2018
Associations Between Food Insecurity and Parental Feeding Behaviors of Toddlers
Colin J Orr1, Sophie Ravanbakht2, Kori B Flower1
1Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel (CJ Orr and KB Flower), Chapel Hill, NC.
Insights
Food insecurity in households with young children is linked to increased parental pressure and worry about child weight. Addressing food insecurity may improve child feeding behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Childhood Obesity Research
- Nutritional Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Household food insecurity is a growing concern impacting child development.
- Parental feeding behaviors significantly influence a child's weight status and long-term health.
- Understanding the interplay between food insecurity and feeding practices is crucial for obesity prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between household food insecurity and parental feeding behaviors.
- To examine the relationship between food insecurity, parental weight perception, and child weight status.
- To identify potential targets for intervention in diverse pediatric populations.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of 2-year-old children within the Greenlight trial.
- Food insecurity assessed using a validated screening tool.
- Parental feeding behaviors measured by the Child Feeding Questionnaire; child weight status analyzed.
- Statistical adjustments for multiple demographic and socioeconomic covariates.
Main Results:
- 37% of households reported food insecurity.
- Parents in food-insecure households exhibited more pressuring feeding behaviors (P=.01) and greater worry about child overweight (P=.02).
- No significant differences in child or parent weight status, or in monitoring/restrictive feeding behaviors, were found based on food insecurity.
Conclusions:
- Food insecurity is associated with increased parental pressure and concern regarding child weight.
- Interventions should consider addressing food insecurity to mitigate negative impacts on child feeding.
- Linking food-insecure families with resources and education can promote healthier feeding practices.
Objective:
We examined associations between household food insecurity status and parental feeding behavior, weight perception, and child weight status in a diverse sample of young children.
Methods:
Cross-sectional analysis of 2-year-old children in Greenlight, a cluster randomized trial to prevent childhood obesity. The exposure was food insecurity, defined as a positive response to a validated screen. Outcomes were parent feeding behaviors/beliefs measured by the Child Feeding Questionnaire and child weight status. t tests and linear regression were used to assess associations between food insecurity and each outcome. We adjusted for child sex, race/ethnicity, parent education, employment, site, number of children in the home, and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children status.
Results:
Five hundred three households (37%) were food insecure. After adjusting for covariates, parents from insecure households reported more pressuring feeding behaviors (mean factor score 3.2 compared to food secure parents mean factor score 2.9, P = .01) and were more worried about their child becoming overweight (mean factor score 2.3 vs 2.0; P = .02). No differences were observed in monitoring or restrictive feeding behaviors. After adjusting for covariates, there was no difference in weight status or prevalence of overweight/obesity of children or parents based on household food insecurity status.
Conclusions:
Parents from food insecure households reported more pressuring feeding behaviors. This finding underscores the need to address food insecurity and potentially prevent harmful effects on child feeding. Parents in food insecure households might benefit from linkage with resources and education to develop healthier feeding behaviors.
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