Objective-To examine beliefs about the role of parenting in feeding and childhood obesity among mothers of lower socioeconomic status.Methods-Individual semi-structured audio-taped interview with 91 mothers of preschool-aged children (49% of mothers obese, 21% of children obese) in the Midwestern United States. Participant comments were transcribed and common themes identified using the constant comparative method and NVivo software.Results-Mothers often described their parents' feeding style as authoritarian or neglectful, and their own current style as comparatively indulgent and better. Mothers described parents of overweight children as inept or neglectful, but never described their own parenting as such.Conclusions and Implications-Encouraging mothers to reflect on how they were fed as children, how it may impact their current parenting, and how the relationship between mothering and child obesity is complex are important nutrition education opportunities.

This study sought to identify maternal styles of talking about child feeding from a semi-structured interview and to evaluate associated maternal and child characteristics. Mothers of preschool-aged children (n = 133) of diverse race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) (45 lower SES black, 29 lower SES white, 32 lower SES Hispanic, 15 middle to upper SES white, 12 middle to upper SES Asian) participated in a semi-structured interview about feeding. Interviews were audio-taped and transcribed. Themes were identified, and individual interviews were coded within these themes: authority (high/low), confidence (confident/conflicted/unopinionated), and investment (deep/mild/removed). Demographic characteristics were collected and a subset of children had measured weights and heights. Cluster analysis was used to identify narrative styles. Participant characteristics were compared across clusters using Fisher’s exact test and analysis of variance. Six narrative styles were identified: Easy-Going, Practical No-Nonsense, Disengaged, Effortful No-Nonsense, Indulgent Worry, and Conflicted Control. Cluster membership differed significantly based on maternal demographic group (P < .001) and child weight status (P < .05). More than half (60%) of children of mothers in the Conflicted Control cluster were obese. Maternal styles of talking about feeding are associated with maternal and child characteristics.

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