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Published on: February 2, 2017
A Latent Class Analysis of Family Eating Behaviors and Home Environment Habits on Preschool-Aged Children's Body Mass
Jennifer E Carroll1,2, Jennifer A Emond2,3, Nicole VanKim1
1Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.
Insights
Childhood obesity is linked to clustered eating and household habits. The "least healthy/least accommodating" class showed higher odds of overweight and obesity in young children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric nutrition
- Obesity research
- Behavioral science
Background:
- Childhood obesity has complex causes, including various risk factors that often co-occur.
- Previous research often analyzed obesity risk factors in isolation, neglecting their clustering.
- Identifying distinct patterns in eating behaviors and household habits is crucial for understanding obesity etiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify distinct classes of child eating behaviors, parent feeding behaviors, and household habits in preschool-aged children.
- To determine if these identified classes are associated with overweight and obesity status.
- To explore the relationship between child-parent mealtime interactions and children's weight status.
Main Methods:
- Latent class analysis was employed using data from 624 preschool-aged children and their parents.
- Parent-reported data on eating behaviors and household habits were collected.
- Objective measurements of children's height and weight were obtained.
Main Results:
- Four distinct classes emerged: "Healthy/Mildly accommodating," "Healthy/Accommodating," "Moderately healthy/Moderately accommodating," and "Least healthy/Least accommodating."
- Children in the "Least healthy/Least accommodating" class had significantly increased odds of being overweight or obese (aOR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.13-2.15) compared to the "Healthy/Mildly accommodating" class.
- The "Healthy/Accommodating" and "Moderately healthy/Moderately accommodating" classes were not significantly associated with overweight or obesity.
Conclusions:
- Child-parent interactions around meals have a differential impact on children's weight status, influenced by concurrent eating habits.
- Establishing multiple healthy habits within the home environment is vital for mitigating obesity risk in young children.
- This study underscores the importance of a holistic approach to addressing childhood obesity, considering the interplay of various behavioral and environmental factors.
Abstract:
Background: The etiology of obesity is multifaceted, with multiple risk factors occurring during early childhood (e.g., fast food frequency, eating dinner as a family, TV in the bedroom). Many past studies have largely considered obesity risk factors in isolation, when in reality, the risk factors likely cluster together. A latent class analysis can be used to identify patterns in child eating behaviors, parent feeding behaviors, and household habits among preschool-aged children and their families to identify distinct, heterogenous classes and to determine if classes are associated with overweight and obesity. Methods: We used data from a community-based study of 624 three- to five-year-old children and a parent in New Hampshire, from March 2014 to October 2015. Parent-reported data were used to determine frequency of eating behaviors and household habits. Height and weight were objectively measured. Results: Four classes were identified; Class 1: "Healthy/Mildly accommodating," Class 2: "Healthy/Accommodating," Class 3: "Moderately healthy/Moderately accommodating," and Class 4: "Least healthy/Least accommodating." Compared with Class 1, children in Class 4 had increased odds of being overweight or obese [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.64, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.13-2.15], whereas Classes 2 and 3 were not associated with BMI (Class 2: aOR: 1.24, 95% CI: 0.62-1.86; Class 3: aOR: 1.31, 95% CI: 0.81-1.81). Conclusion: Study findings highlight that child-parent interactions around meals differentially relate to children's weight status given the context of children's eating habits. Most important, our study findings confirm the importance of adapting multiple healthy habits within the home social and physical environment to offset obesity risk in young children.
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