Parent‐Child Feeding Strategies and Their Relationships to Child Eating and Weight Status

Abstract

FAITH, MYLES S., KELLEY S. SCANLON, LEANN L.BIRCH, LORI A. FRANCIS, AND BETTYLOU SHERRY. Parent-child feeding strategies and their relationships to child eating and weight status. Obes Res. 2004;12:1711-1722. Parental feeding styles may promote overeating or overweight in children. A comprehensive literature review was undertaken to summarize the associations between parental feeding styles and child eating and weight status. Twentytwo studies were identified. We systematically coded study attributes and outcomes and tested for patterns of association. Nineteen studies (86%) reported at least one significant association between parental feeding style and child outcome, although study methodology and results varied considerably. Studies measuring parental feeding restriction, as opposed to general feeding control or another feeding domain, were more likely to report positive associations with child eating and weight status. Certain associations differed by gender and by outcome measurement (e.g., rate of eating as opposed to total energy intake). Parental feeding restriction, but no other feeding domain, was associated with increased child eating and weight status. Longitudinal studies are needed to test underlying causal pathways, including bidirectional causal models, and to substantiate findings in the presence of other obesity risk factors.

Intergenerational differences in acculturation experiences, food beliefs and perceived health risks among refugees from the Horn of Africa in Melbourne, Australia

“…In spite of this, existing data in Caucasian populations suggest that feeding strategies such as the ones exhibited by the parents in the present study (i.e. controlling, restricting and rewarding) can affect a child's ability to self-regulate appetite and hence increase the risk of the child becoming overweight or obese (35) .…”

“Just three more bites”: An observational analysis of parents’ socialization of children's eating at mealtime

“…Parental strategies to control children's eating behaviors also may be related to children's energy intake and/or weight (Faith et al, 2004). Research has focused largely on two strategies: parental feeding restriction and pressure/prompting to eat.…”

“…Such basic information is central to the formulation of an empirical model of the development of adaptive and maladaptive eating patterns and would be not only of heuristic value but also of practical value (Hill, Rogers, & Blundell, 1995). The literature currently lacks such information (e.g., Faith et al, 2004).In the present study, we used naturalistic home observational data of a large sample of families with kindergarten-aged target children to describe comprehensively the childhood mealtime environment and to examine several related issues not previously addressed in the literature. A primary objective was to identify empirically the full range of strategies that parents used in the childhood mealtime environment, and their relative use of these strategies.…”

“…Such basic information is central to the formulation of an empirical model of the development of adaptive and maladaptive eating patterns and would be not only of heuristic value but also of practical value (Hill, Rogers, & Blundell, 1995). The literature currently lacks such information (e.g., Faith et al, 2004).…”

Association between parental motives for food choice and eating patterns of 12- to 13-year-old Norwegian children

“…The family eating environment, including parental food attitudes, eating behaviour and feeding practices, is central in the development of children's eating habits and weight outcome (16)(17)(18)(19)(20) . However, few studies have examined the relationship between parental food choice motives and children's dietary habits (21,22) .…”