Abstract
Objective
To identify associations between structure-related and non-responsive feeding practices
and children's eating behaviors.
Design
Cross-sectional online survey design.
Participants
Parents (n = 413) of 1- to 10-year-old children.
Main Outcome Measures
Parental feeding practices and child eating behaviors were measured via the validated
Feeding Practices and Structure and Children's Eating Behaviour questionnaires.
Analysis
Associations between parental feeding practices and children's eating behaviors were
tested using hierarchical multivariable linear regression models, adjusted for covariates.
Results
Feeding practices accounted for 28% and 21% of the variance in food fussiness and
enjoyment of food, respectively (P < .001). For all other eating behaviors the amount of variance explained by feeding
practices was < 10% (P < .001). Key findings were that more structure and less non-responsive practices
were associated with lower food fussiness and higher enjoyment of food.
Conclusions and Implications
Overall, the findings suggested that mealtime structure and responsive feeding are
associated with more desirable eating behaviors. Contrary to predictions, there was
no evidence to indicate that these practices are associated with better self-regulation
of energy intake. Longitudinal research and intervention studies are needed to confirm
the importance of these feeding practices for children's eating behaviors and weight
outcomes.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 01, 2016
Accepted:
August 11,
2016
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The authors' conflict of interest disclosures can be found online with this article on www.jneb.org.
Identification
Copyright
©2016 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
