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Parenting Style, Caregiver Stress, and Energy-Dense Feeding Episodes in Low-Income Preschoolers: A Pilot Ecological

Maryam Yuhas1, Katherine M Kidwell2, Xuezhu Hua1

  • 1Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA.

Nutrients
|May 13, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Caregiver stress and authoritarian parenting increase children's intake of energy-dense foods (EDF). Momentary stress during eating episodes is linked to using food as a reward, suggesting targets for interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Child Nutrition
  • Public Health
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Excessive consumption of energy-dense foods (EDF) is a public health concern in preschool children, especially in low-income families.
  • Parenting styles, caregiver stress, and food-parenting practices (FPP) influence children's EDF intake, but real-time dynamics are poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine associations between baseline characteristics and EDF feeding episodes in preschool children over one week.
  • To investigate the relationship between caregiver momentary stress during EDF episodes and FPP used.

Main Methods:

  • A pilot study involving 22 caregivers of Head Start children (ages 3-5).
  • Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) over 7 days, with caregivers reporting child EDF consumption, FPP, and momentary stress.
  • Poisson regression and generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used for data analysis.

Main Results:

  • Authoritarian parenting was associated with higher weekly EDF episodes (RR=1.43); authoritative parenting showed a trend towards lower episodes (RR=0.90).
  • Higher baseline caregiver stress correlated with increased EDF episodes (RR=1.25).
  • Momentary stress elevation predicted using food as a reward (OR=1.08) and co-eating (OR=1.59).

Conclusions:

  • Authoritarian parenting and elevated caregiver stress are linked to increased EDF consumption in young children.
  • Momentary caregiver stress during eating episodes may trigger specific FPP, like using food as a reward.
  • Findings suggest potential targets for just-in-time adaptive interventions for child nutrition, pending further research.

Keywords:
Head Startcaregiver stressecological momentary assessmentenergy-dense foodsfood parenting practicesparenting stylepreschool-aged children

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