Food Insecurity and Obesogenic Maternal Infant Feeding Styles and Practices in Low-Income Families

Abstract

WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Food insecurity has been linked to childhood obesity in a number of studies. Few studies have explored potential pathways through which food insecurity is related to child weight, especially in low-income families with young infants. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:We found that food insecurity was related to maternal controlling feeding styles and concerns about the infants' future weight. Early obesity prevention should aim to decrease food insecurity and to reduce controlling feeding styles in families who remain food insecure. abstract OBJECTIVES: We explored the relationship between household food insecurity and maternal feeding styles, infant feeding practices, and perceptions and attitudes about infant weight in low-income mothers. METHODS: Mothers participating in the Special Supplemental FoodProgram for Women, Infants, and Children with infants aged between 2 weeks and 6 months were interviewed. By using regression analyses, the following relationships were examined between food insecurity and: (1) controlling feeding styles (restrictive and pressuring); (2) infant feeding practices, including breastfeeding, juice consumption, and adding cereal to the bottle; and (3) perceptions and attitudes about infant weight. Path analysis was used to determine if perceptions and attitudes about infant weight mediated the relationships between food insecurity and controlling feeding styles. ). This concern mediated the relationship between food insecurity and both restrictive (P = .009) and pressuring (P = .01) feeding styles. RESULTS:CONCLUSIONS: Increased concern about future overweight and controlling feeding styles represent potential mechanisms by which food insecurity could be related to obesity. Obesity prevention should aim to decrease food insecurity and to reduce controlling feeding styles in families who remain food insecure. Pediatrics 2012;130:254-261

Does household food insecurity influence nutritional practice of children age 6 to 23 months in Bangladesh?

“…The findings were consistent with a study in Nepal that suggested that parent's educational status and socio-economic status were significantly associated with HHFI. 18 Similar results have been observed in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, such as, The Unites States of America; households with illiterate mothers are vulnerable to food insecurity 29 . Illiterate mothers with poor socioeconomic status reflect inadequate CFP.…”

“…Nevertheless, in The United States of America, the introduction of juice and HHFS did not show any significant association. 29 Insufficient domestic production of non-cereal foods (for example, pulses, fruits, meat, milk, eggs etc. ), lower socio-economic status, and lack of nutritional knowledge reflect HHFI.…”

Difficulty buying food, BMI, and eating habits in young children

“…There is also early evidence that poverty and food insecurity may affect feeding practices from early infancy, with decreased rates of breastfeeding and higher use of controlling feeding styles, such as pressure on infants to feed and restriction of infant intake. 10,34 Though children in food insecure households may be protected from hunger as a result of the sacrifices of their caregivers, 32 there may still be changes in feeding behaviours that could influence child health. A better understanding of the mechanisms behind these associations, particularly in very young children, may point to targeted nutrition interventions at both the clinical and population health levels.…”

“…9 Recent studies have also indicated that food insecurity may lead to obesogenic feeding behaviours, such as restriction of food and pressure to eat, in infants. 10 However, studies examining food insecurity as a predictor of obesity in young children have shown conflicting results.…”

Reducing childhood obesity: opportunities to influence transitional infant feeding

“…While the sample's feeding choices are similar to a broader sample of women, The lack of association between parenting style and infant dietary intake may be due to not measuring the demandingness dimension of parenting style, although similar methodology used elsewhere 58 did detect relationships. Modification of the CFQ restriction questions to better measure transitional feeding practices may have affected the relationships detected, though this is not the first time the CFQ has been modified, 17,277,278 specifically around the restriction subscale. 279 The association between pressure-to-eat and both low birth and low current weight would suggest an infant-led interaction.…”