Ethnic differences in parental feeding behaviors in UK parents of preschoolers

Abstract

Childhood obesity is prevalent among ethnic minorities in the UK but little is known about parent feeding practices in these populations. We administered questionnaires assessing parental feeding behaviors and perceptions and concerns relating to child weight to White British (n=271), South Asian (n=59), and Black Afro-Caribbean (n=42) parents of UK 3–5 year-olds. Child BMI z-scores were determined from measured heights and weights. South Asian and Black Afro-Caribbean parents exhibited greater pressure to eat than White British parents. Black Afro-Caribbean parents additionally scored higher on instrumental feeding and lower on monitoring, while South Asian parents scored higher on emotional feeding. Black Afro-Caribbean parents reported the greatest concern about both child overweight and underweight. Ethnic differences were unchanged by controlling for perceptions and concerns relating to child weight, or for actual BMI z, parent education, or household income. Exploratory analyses suggested some evidence for sex differences within ethnic groups. For example, South Asian parents of daughters scored higher than White British parents of daughters on emotional feeding, with no ethnic differences apparent for parents of sons. Our findings support considering variation in parent feeding behaviors and weight-related attitudes by parental ethnicity and child sex when developing obesity interventions.

Significant differences in maternal child‐feeding style between ethnic groups in the UK: the role of deprivation and parenting styles

“…In terms of how this fits in with existing research, data from a UK perspective are sparse. As noted in the Introduction, mothers of preschool children from Black and South Asian backgrounds have been identified as demonstrating higher levels of pressurising, emotional feeding and instrumental feeding compared to White British mothers , whereas mothers of Pakistani origin are also more likely to use a pressurising approach . Comparatively in the USA, the topic is better explored, showing similar patterns to the present study.…”

“…In the UK, however, research is sparse. A recent study amongst mothers of preschool children found that South Asian and Black Afro Caribbean parents used higher levels of pressure to eat, emotional feeding, and instrumental feeding compared to White parents . As part of another study, mothers from Pakistani backgrounds in Bradford were more likely to use authoritarian feeding styles (similar to pressurising feeding) with their toddlers compared to White British mothers .…”

Grandparental dietary provision, feeding practices and feeding styles when caring for preschool‐aged grandchildren: A systematic mixed methods review

“…Evidence suggests that grandparents are also engaging in some feeding practices that are coercive in nature such as restriction, using food as a reward or for emotional comfort and pressuring grandchildren to eat, which correlate with children's unhealthy food consumption 61,62 . Studies of parental feeding practices suggest that these coercive practices are also adopted by parents of children this age but may vary depending on child weight status, parental ethnicity and child sex 63–65 . It may therefore be useful to explore the variation in the use of different feeding practices across distinctive characteristics of grandparents and grandchildren.…”

Food Parenting Practices among Parents with Overweight and Obesity: A Systematic Review

“…Two of the identified studies are applicable to white mothers and their daughters only [69,70]. Future research should seek to include more diverse ethnic samples, particularly as South Asian and Black Afro-Caribbean parents have reported greater pressure to eat [104], higher levels of restrictive FPPs and lower levels of monitoring [105] in comparison to White British and White German parents.…”